Microsoft’s bold shift away from Xbox exclusives is sparking debate about whether it’s setting a trend for the future of gaming or falling behind its competitors.
Remember back in the day when you had big arguments on the schoolyard about whether PlayStation or Xbox was better? We can play online for free! Yeah, well, we have Halo! These generational debates might be over soon because Microsoft is heading in a bold new direction – one that could shift the console war away from the Microsoft giant. Here's everything you need to know about the latest Microsoft strategy.
Don't You Guys Have PlayStations?!
CEO Phil Spencer confirmed that four Xbox games—Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, Sea of Thieves, and Pentiment – will be launched on PS5 and Switch. This move is part of a broader strategy to expand its reach and test the waters beyond Xbox. Spencer believes that exclusive games will become less common in the future, as Microsoft looks to grow its player base and adapt to industry changes.
Now, you have three guesses who LOVES this new idea. Right, PlayStation manager Adam Boyes. In his analogy, he says PlayStation is HBO, Nintendo is Disney, and Xbox is Netflix, who, with their new strategy, made a move from the video store Blockbuster to Netflix. So, he thinks Microsoft was already years behind and is only now catching up? And is he aware of the fact that there are still exclusive productions on each streaming service? He furthermore adds that there will be nobody on the losing side with this new strategy – except Microsoft shareholders, maybe.
Setting A Trend Or Falling Behind?
Xbox is at least smart enough not to hand out every game at once to its competition and is just testing this new strategy. And while the reason may be noble and a huge win for consumers in an act of bringing peace to the console war, we have to ask: What's in it for Microsoft? The Switch has the worst hardware, so should we buy it if the other companies follow Microsoft's example, and we can play Breath of the Wild on PlayStation?
Does Phil Spencer think I buy an Xbox because of the 'Y' instead of a triangle at the top? I mean, the PS4 controllers are pretty much a copy of the Xbox controller, and now Microsoft is handing out their unique selling points? The future will tell if the other companies will follow along in an unselfish act in service of gamers and not just profit from Xbox exclusive titles being handed over. Sure.
What do you think of this new strategy from Microsoft? Are you Team Console or Team PC? Let us know in the comments!