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According to Mike Ybarra, the head of programming for Xbox, revealed in a recent interview that Xbox Live might one day support having 64 players in a party chat.
It was just last fall when the Xbox One received an update that increased the count of players in a party from eight to 12. In the update that is scheduled to release soon, that number is set to be raised to 16 players in chat. According to Ybarra, that number is still too low for his liking.
“It was eight [to a party chat] six months ago, then we went to 12, now we’re at 16,” Ybarra said in an interview with Game Informer. “I’d love to get that to 64 because that’ll get Battlefield and games like that which do 64 vs. 64.”
Imagine the chaos of hearing everybody speak in a Battlefield match. This what Xbox Live may allow one day.
Ybarra also added that the increased count in party chat would benefit the PC crowd who use the Xbox app in Windows 10.
“A lot of our gamers use the Xbox app with non-Xbox Live games because you get free party chat. So if you’re in World of Warcraft and you have a 20-person raid, we’re seeing a lot of people loading the Xbox app, getting into big parties as their client for how they talk and they go in. I want to raise that number to make sure I’m satisfying the Windows side and their needs as well.”
Also included in this month’s update will be the ability for party chat to work with Twitch broadcasts. Members of the Xbox One Preview Program already have access to the both the increased party size count and the Twitch chat. Other Xbox One users should be receiving the update any day now.
Could you see yourself taking part in a 64 player chat over Xbox Live?
I am an aspiring journalist with dreams to make it to the conventions and play with the big boys of the game industry. When I'm not writing about games, I'm playing and enjoying them. Some say that I have an obsession, but I don't. I have a really expensive hobby.
