As competition grows for consumer spending for the upcoming next generation of video game consoles, it is becoming clearer how Sony and Microsoft are attempting to capture the interest of buyers. Xbox Executive Phil Spencer stated in a recent interview with Gamesindustry.biz that exclusivity goes against what gaming should be about.
The statement is part of an ongoing dialogue that Spencer has been having with the gaming community for some time. Microsoft is investing heavily into its Project xCloud to bring game streaming into the forefront of consumer minds in the way that Google tried, but utterly failed with Stadia. It is clear that players will soon have several ways to play their favorite games on the platforms they choose, be it a console, PC, tablet, or virtually any smart device.
Spencer continues this dialogue by stating that, “As a player you are the center of our strategy. Our device is not the center of our strategy, our game is not the center of the strategy. We want to enable you to play the games you want to play, with the friends you want to play with, on any device.” Up to this point, the message is business as usual for Spencer. This has been his rallying cry for a while now, but what comes next takes aim at the console exclusivity tactic employed by certain organizations.
"Sorry, I am a bit soapboxy with this one,” Spencer continues, “I find it completely counter to what gaming is about to say that part of that is to lock people away from being able to experience those games. Or to force someone to buy my specific device on the day that I want them to go buy it, in order to partake in what gaming is about.” Clearly, Spencer is talking about Sony and their PS4 exclusives, but the same could also be said of Epic Games and their aggressive signing of exclusive titles to their platform.
On the one hand, Spencer is correct in that Sony has released many exclusive titles that can only be enjoyed on the PS4, and many of them have been outstanding contributions to gaming. This has been a viable business strategy for Sony, and it is certainly one reason that they have completely dominated the console war between them and Microsoft with this generation of hardware.
While Spencer raises some good points, it all comes off as a little preachy from the organization who is far behind the competition for selling consoles. Not only that, but Microsoft has plenty of titles that it has kept as exclusives to its platforms for years. If Spencer were truly genuine about his comments, there is some explanation lacking with regards to the games they have gated on their hardware.
In any case, it will be fascinating to see how the sales go for both Sony and Microsoft come this holiday season. Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to convince people to purchase their next console, but Sony has such a commanding lead with brand loyalty, and of course, console exclusives. A safe bet would be that players will stick with or switch to Sony for a similar experience of outstanding games.
Source: gameindustry.biz