For a while, debates surrounding console exclusives and the eternal war between Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo have waged on. However, in recent years, that has all seemingly died down with the advent of a newfound love for multi-platform releases over at Xbox HQ, and the plethora of rumors surrounding Xbox’s bowing out of said console wars. Indeed, it has felt as if they’re all but over, with PlayStation and Nintendo coming out as victors.
However, that isn’t exactly the case. If anything, the situation surrounding console exclusives is more confusing. Xbox’s crusade to all but delete them and the mere idea of them from existence certainly muddies the water, but that doesn’t mean its right. Indeed, Sarah Bond and Phil Spencer’s frequent comments surrounding exclusives are wrong, especially when viewed from all perspectives, but, luckily, that actually benefits the consumer the most.
Xbox Boss Believes Exclusives Are Antiquated
Sarah Bond Says “The Biggest Games Are Available Everywhere”
In an interview with Mashable about the new ROG Xbox Ally, Sarah Bond, the current CEO of Xbox, spoke about how the company views exclusives, specifically in regards to the next generation of consoles. She states that “the idea of locking [games] to one store or one device is antiquated for most people,” believing that most people want to be able to play games with their friends, regardless of platform.
There is some truth to that, especially when you look at the games Bond refers to as the “biggest” right now. Live service titles do really demand to be on every platform, and that’s why even the likes of Helldivers 2 eventually go cross-platform. Having a healthy player base relies on being accessible everywhere, and locking those types of experiences to just one platform would be ridiculous. We’ve seen the likes of Destruction AllStars, Foamstars, and Concord fail on PlayStation as exclusives, for example.
However, Bond’s response doesn’t factor in single-player games, the types of experiences that once dominated the market and drove interest to certain platforms. Instead, it comes from the perspective of a company that has, due to numerous failings of its own, ostensibly lost the console wars that facilitated the need for exclusive hardware and software in the first place. Xbox needs to go multi-platform if it wants to survive and push its allegedly extremely expensive next-gen hardware.
Bond and Microsoft both know that no one is buying Xbox consoles anymore. The PS5 drastically outsold the Series X/S at launch, and continues to do so to this day. That’s why we’re getting $1,000 handhelds and reports of a PC-like console costing upwards of $1,200 coming in the next generation. Xbox is utilizing its hardware to cater to a niche subset of gamers while distributing its software to whoever will take it to subsidize costs and make a return on its ridiculous investments in developers like Bethesda and Activision Blizzard.
Exclusives Are The Lifeblood Of PlayStation & Nintendo
They Can’t Afford To Exist Without Them
Conversely, both Sony and Nintendo cannot afford to take that same approach. Neither company has the finances that Microsoft does, and so must rely on growing a dedicated fan base to both continue selling their hardware and software and generating significant enough revenue for it to be worth it. Sony, especially, is dependent on single-player exclusives right now after its devastating live service failures resulted in game cancellations and losing hundreds of millions of dollars.
Exclusives are not antiquated to Sony or Nintendo right now as much as they are to Xbox. This is why Sarah Bond’s comments ring a little hollow, as they don’t factor in how losing exclusivity on software could irreparably damage the PlayStation and Nintendo brand. Were Nintendo to release its Mario or Zelda games on PlayStation, for example, then there would be no need to buy its inarguably weaker software, nor for third-party developers to port their titles to the Switch 2 at considerable cost and effort.
Without exclusives, these companies suffer greatly, and that would ultimately have a negative impact on the consumer, who would potentially no longer get Nintendo games or Sony products. Instead, we’d all have to play the “biggest” games right now, like Call of Duty, Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite, most of which, at least in my opinion, lack the substance that even Xbox’s own exclusives deliver.
Xbox’s Multi-Platform Approach Benefits The Majority Of Gamers
It Narrows Down The Console Wars
However, while Xbox’s stance on exclusives being antiquated is a false dichotomy, it does still benefit fans greatly. The PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch are the two biggest consoles right now with the greatest install bases. Indeed, the Nintendo Switch 2 is the fastest selling console of all time, and will likely continue to grow at an extremely healthy pace. At least in the world of consoles, these are the places players are right now.
As such, were Xbox to mistakenly continue to create exclusives for its flailing hardware, the majority of consumers would ultimately miss out on them. This is why Xbox tested porting its exclusives to PlayStation, and why we’ve now gotten Gears of War on the PS5. It knows it cannot afford to keep Call of Duty, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, or any of its own first-party titles locked to the Xbox as they’d all lost extraordinary amounts of money.
As a result, consumers can now narrow down the console wars to just two platforms, reassured in the knowledge that, at the very least, they’ll get that console’s games and Xbox’s. You no longer need to buy three different boxes to play every game, as Microsoft has ostensibly folded and given up. Its boutique expensive hardware will appeal to those still loyal to the brand, but it won’t be a necessity for those who either can’t afford a PC or prefer the console experience.
Of course, competition is still healthy, and, as such, a rivalry should still be celebrated. However, narrowing the options down a little for consumers saves them money, consolidates their libraries, and, ultimately, provides the best experience. Xbox and PlayStation always offered a similar type of experience anyway, unlike Nintendo whose brand of games is so unique it almost warrants its own hardware. Culling the Xbox hardware from the equation just makes everything easier, while exclusives allow Sony and Nintendo to continue making the games we all love.
- Brand
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Xbox
- Original Release Date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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Series X priced at US$499 and the Series S priced at US$299
- Weight
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9.8 lb
