Xbox 360 games coming to PC allege leaked documents

The files also shed light on a full launch of original Xbox games on PC by October and a disc-to-digital program.

Xbox's backward compatibility program appears to be expanding with Xbox 360 games coming to PC. Reporting on leaked documents also indicates that developers will be able to choose if their Xbox 360 games are available on Game Pass and also makes mention of a physical disc to digital ownership program.

Xbox 360 games on PC, a full rollout of the original Xbox games on PC, and disc-to-digital functionality has been reported on by the Verge via leaked documents. The documents outline a variety of features that Xbox allegedly has in the works as part of its comprehensive Resetting Xbox initiative.

Xbox games have been slowly appearing on PC since Xbox ventured onto the platform a few years ago with its Xbox One SmartGlass. Since then, Xbox games have launched on the platform via the Xbox app and even found their way onto Steam. Recently, Xbox pushed the feature further by releasing four original Xbox games and now it appears the company is ready for Xbox 360 games.

The documents acquired by the Verge indicate that developers will be given the option to have their Xbox 360 games brought to PC. Furthermore, it outlines that developers can choose to make their Xbox 360 games backward compatible, set a game’s price, and dictate if it appears on Game Pass.

Xbox anticipates a gradual rollout of this feature to occur between 2027 and 2028 “across next-gen devices,” according to the report. This seems to indicate Xbox's plan to release Project Helix within the next two years.

The documents also highlight a disc-to-digital feature. The system would allow Xbox One or Xbox Series discs to be inserted in to an Xbox and a digital licence to be created and bound to that player’s account. This would effectively allow users to take their games to a console that has no disc drive. The caveat is that the digital licence would only stay bound to that account as long as the disc does not change hands. In the event a player sells a disc, that licence would be transferred to the new owner.

This seems to imply a need to connect to the internet to cross-reference ownership of a product. We could be approaching Xbox’s 2013 vision of online check-ins to ensure you own the games you say you do. The disc-to-digital feature might also be taken as a shot across the bow, indicating a disc drive-less future, a reality that Sony has already threatened and plans to stick to, despite fierce public backlash. Xbox has been mum on the topic.

If Xbox does plan to adopt a disc-less future, it would certainly help it reach its lofty goal of being industry leaders in operating margin. However, public sentiment would no doubt be extremely negative, and it’s not as though Xbox needs more negative publicity following its recent decimation of its workforce.

Stay tuned to our Xbox 360 page, and our Xbox page, for more information on these features.

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