Xbox Live is coming to Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, according to this leak

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Microsoft's got big plans in the pipeline for Xbox Live

Xbox Live has long been a fixture of the Xbox and Windows space, but it looks like Microsoft has its sights on making the service even more widely available. In a now-deleted description for a Game Developers Conference 2019 panel, Microsoft seemingly let slip that Xbox Live is heading to Nintendo Switch and mobile platforms.

The listing page for the GDC panel presented by Microsoft has been largely scrubbed clean following the leak; the current title "Xbox Live: Growing & Engaging Your Gaming Community Across Platforms" used to include "Across iOS, Android, Switch, Xbox, and PC." Polygon captured the description of the panel before it was removed, which once read "Xbox Live is expanding from 400M gaming devices and a reach to [sic] over 68M active players to over 2B devices with the release of our new cross-platform XDK."

While the old panel info didn't provide any hard-and-fast launch date or in-depth details (surely planned for the panel itself), it did mention how users will be able to view their Xbox Live achievements, friends lists, clubs, and more from their Switch or their phones. "Get a first look at the SDK to enable game developers to connect players between iOS, Android, and Switch in addition to Xbox and any game in the Microsoft Store on Windows PCs," it read. At the moment, it seems like the cross-platform version of the app would be mostly limited to social features, but for Microsoft to even consider bringing its Xbox Live brand to Switch is certainly a surprise.

When asked for comment, a Microsoft spokesperson told us that there's "nothing additional to share at this time" regarding this in-the-works XDK. We'll have to wait until GDC 2019 to find out what Microsoft has plans for the now-spoiled big reveal, but it's an exciting time for people who want to stay connected regardless of their preferred platform of play.

For more feel-good, cross-platform play, here's how to enable cross-platform Fortnite matches for PS4, Xbox, PC, and Switch. 

Lucas Sullivan
Lucas Sullivan

Lucas Sullivan is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. Lucas spent seven years working for GR, starting as an Associate Editor in 2012 before climbing the ranks. He left us in 2019 to pursue a career path on the other side of the fence, joining 2K Games as a Global Content Manager. Lucas doesn't get to write about games like Borderlands and Mafia anymore, but he does get to help make and market them.