Earlier this month, Microsoft conducted an experiment in which it called upon users to install and play State of Decay on Windows 10 preview builds.
In the experiment, all the files were downloaded from Xbox Live server instead of Microsoft Store where the file is provided by Microsoft. This experiment first hinted at the arrival of Xbox games on Windows PCs.
In another development, today, Brad Sams from Thurrot has discovered a code which indicates that Microsoft is bridging the gap between PC and Xbox gaming.
As tweeted by WalkingCat, Microsoft.GamingServices app installs two drivers that contain references with “Durango” — the codename for Xbox One.
Microsoft.GamingServices app installs 2 drivers:
xvdd.sys = XVD Disk Driver (Microsoft Gaming Filesystem Driver)
gameflt.sys = Gaming Filter (Microsoft Gaming Install Filter Driver)— WalkingCat (@h0x0d) February 25, 2019
Seemingly, Microsoft is coming up with a mechanism that will allow the installation of Xbox games on PCs. It could also replace existing Store PC games to support the Xbox infrastructure.
When users installed the State of Decay, it was noticed that the game installer was packed in XVC format which is used by the company for Xbox One titles.
Moreover, the XVC format could also be used for installing games on PCs with Powershell from Windows 10 Version 1903 (19H1).
We can expect Microsoft to release the feature in the upcoming Windows update which is scheduled for April.
By connecting dots, it is evident that Microsoft has plans for allowing users to play Xbox One games on Windows PCs by directly downloading them.
This would not only benefit players but developers as well as they would be able to roll out games to both the platforms in a single package.
