“Weaponizing of Exclusives”- Xbox Head Takes a Dig at PlayStation

Back in 2013, things hadn’t gone as planned for Microsoft’s Xbox One. The console sold about 50 million units compared to the PlayStation 4’s 106 million units. However, the American tech-giant looks better prepared than ever as it heads into the console war this time, and Phil Spencer is a big reason for that.

Certainly, his technology-driven approach has helped Xbox in regaining the trust of the gaming community.

In a recent interview with Gamereactor, the Xbox Head talked about the future of exclusivity in Microsoft’s consoles.

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Debate around exclusive titles on Xbox and PlayStation consoles

Attractive exclusive tittles can single-handedly change the fate of any gaming console, and Sony seems to have mastered this strategy. As a result, PlayStation users have had the fortune of playing titles like Uncharted, God of War, and Spider-Man, etc. Despite matching the PlayStation’s high-end specifications, Microsoft has constantly failed to provide its users with lucrative exclusive titles.

Even Phil Spencer admitted that the company didn’t invest enough in gaming studios during the Xbox One and 360 days. Consequently, the PlayStation always had the upper-hand.

Phil Spencer on “perks and advantages” of exclusivity

Undoubtedly, exclusive games can boost the sales of a console. However, the Xbox Head feels that these “perks and advantages” only exist for a short period.

“But I think in the long term, that camaraderie very quickly turns into weaponizing of exclusive games, of mine versus yours.”

He feels that brilliant games should be able to be played by as many people as possible. Gaming, as an activity, has a lot of potential to engage people and develop a community. But the rise of exclusive titles hinders this community development and restricts the users to a single platform.

“I love the fact that games can bridge political lines, geographical lines, socioeconomic lines, and religious lines.” 

Phil’s outlook towards gaming is worth appreciation. He understands that exclusives are necessary from a marketing point of view, however, he still emphasizes on developing a bigger community. Through its unmatched cloud services, Xbox looks forward to adding more members in its eco-system.

“And when we say ‘playing on Xbox’ it doesn’t mean an Xbox console. It means somebody who is logging in and playing a part of our ecosystem, whether first-party or third-party. And it could be on an Android phone. It could be on a Switch. It could be on a PC. That’s how we think about it.”

Is there a possibility of Xbox exclusives coming from Bethesda

Bethesda is an American video game publisher, credited with games like DOOM Eternal and Fallout 76. Microsoft’s intention to acquire Bethesda’s parent organization, ZeniMax, will most probably turn into an official deal in early 2021. As for now, Phil Spencer chose not to comment much on the company’s plans with this acquisition. However, he is sure that the developers at ZeniMax will do their most amazing work.

Todd Howard, director at Bethesda game studios, is very optimistic about his future at Microsoft. While talking to Phil, he said, “I wanna build the best games that I’ve ever built and I want the support of Microsoft to be able to do that.”

To sum up, Xbox’s head Phil Spencer might have taken a sly dig at PlayStation’s marketing approach. He aspires to create a gaming community that remains concrete irrespective of the platform. Therefore, Xbox will work more on its subscription and cloud services to enhance its user-base. However, fans can also expect some brilliant first-party Xbox titles, thanks to the Bethesda-Microsoft deal.

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