Since the X1 is a PC, a release will be very likely. X1 has lost the game anyway.

I'm still waiting for it on PC. Now that I got a mid-tier gaming PC, I'm looking forward to it.

I was quite shocked when MS gave a small implication of Halo: MCC going to PC, even if unintentional. I'm not a huge fan of the X1, but that's bad for the console if true. Heck, I think it's already bad enough that MS hasn't clarified yet. We all saw what happened with Ryse and Dead Rising 3. Quantum Break is made by a developer who eventually ported Alan Wake to PC last gen. You can't persuade on-the-fence gamers if you can't uphold the definition of an X1 exclusive.

I can see how that's gonna get PC gamers to buy X1 exclusives, but MS third party sales are gonna plummet.  I see PC gamers still buying all third party games on steam and only using Microsoft's service for exclusives.

Makes sense. How do they expect to sell consoles if they keep making PC ports.

It would be the smartest thing possible for Microsoft to take their 1st party to PC. They could make a ton of money. They don't even have to worry about piracy, simply make the games require Xbox Live service to play (they don't really have much in the way of SP games anyway).

Soooo much money awaits them should they choose that path. The XBO will never hit a large enough critical mass in install base to be very profitable, particularly with the crazy way they do business.

Honestly, I'm not sure why they wouldn't. PC gamers aren't console gamers, usually. Console fanboys are console fanboys, PC fanboys are PC fanboys, and the rest of us are just too invested in whatever platform we play on. It's not like they'll cannibalize their own sales.

Kinda makes me wonder if they may actually bail out of the whole console business after Xbone (killing it long before Sony kills PS4) and turn into a 3rd party game studio. I know that Live subscriptions earn them crazy money, but the whole Xbox brand is still bringing in loses and it doesn't seem like Xbone is gonna change that trend. I mean, bringing Halo, GeoW and their other franchises to PC and PS4 could actually get them more money with less risk, since they wouldn't have to bleed cash to entice people to buy an unwanted console.

I am also thinking it. Plus if they market PC business like valve they have better chance than valve. Plus occassional exclusive games will keep Microsofts PC service above the competition.

This is exactly what I thought when MS acquired Mojang and the Minecraft IP. The impression I got from MS when they did that was that they're going 3rd party. The PC market is really huge and is already there for MS to cater to. The PS3 and 360 userbases are also already big and the PS4 has already sold 11 million. That's a ton of consumers for the taking. Debate of whether it was worth $2.5 billion aside, it was a very smart low-risk, high reward acquisition. I would not be surprised if down the line, MS starts going 3rd party with their other huge IPs.