Phil Spencer: Xbox Scorpio Won’t Have Traditional Launch Lineup

The Scorpio, Microsoft’s not-quite-a-next-gen 4K, 6 TFLOPS revision of its Xbox One, is set to release during Autumn of this year, but don’t expect a slew of high-profile launch titles. According to Xbox Head Phil Spencer, the Xbox Scorpio won’t be getting a traditional launch lineup, since it is an iteration of the Xbox One, rather than a new platform in its own right. Instead, the Scorpio will be considered part of the “family” that includes the Xbox One, Xbox One S, and even Windows 10.

“I think that Scorpio has to prove itself as a powerful console through a large array of content,” Spencer told IGN’s Unlocked podcast. “For people who think that there’s some massive AAA game sitting in my back pocket that I haven’t announced yet that I will at E3 and ship it this Fall, it could happen.”

“I am very confident in the quality of the games that we’re launching that I’ve seen,” he explained. “When people see Scorpio, they’re going to see a demonstrable difference between that and the games they are playing now on any console. And I know content has to show that.”

“So I do think it’s a little different than a traditional console launch, where you have to launch, say, five games on day one,” Spencer added. “I told the team I don’t want to do that, because it’s a part of the family of the same systems, every game on it will be playable on Xbox One, Xbox One S, Scorpio, and frankly on Windows 10 as well. So it’s a little bit different, but I know content has to be the thing that we use to demonstrate the capability of the box.”

Micosoft is expected to unveil the Scorpio at E3 this Summer.