The Xbox backlash continues as another console 'exclusive' is reportedly being explored for PlayStation 5

[Windows Central]

After this weekend's backlash to rumors of Hi-Fi Rush being ported systems beyond Xbox, now another game is reportedly slated for PlayStation.

The Xbox backlash continues as another console 'exclusive' is reportedly being explored for PlayStation 5 : Read more

 

[fdruid]

Why the hissy fit here? Xbox is about selling games, and subscriptions. Why shouldn't they release them everywhere?
If anything, they're looking ahead of the curve here too and bringing an industry without exclusives ans with ubiquitous releases. Which is what it should be, exclusive titles are rancidly anticonsumer.
If anything, we should expect Sony do the same with their usual delay in ten years, if they're still around by them. In the meantime, MS, ignoring the astonished faces of those who don't understand their business will be making additional millions selling their games to more users.

 

[Jez Corden]

Why the hissy fit here? Xbox is about selling games, and subscriptions. Why shouldn't they release them everywhere?

you're not wrong. i think you're right in saying that sony would also follow suit eventually, and xbox and playstation hardware will be more akin to ios vs. android, where you pick your ecosystem and can largely expect content to be ubiquitous.

 

[fjtorres5591]

you're not wrong. i think you're right in saying that sony would also follow suit eventually, and xbox and playstation hardware will be more akin to ios vs. android, where you pick your ecosystem and can largely expect content to be ubiquitous.

On theory and in most cases and times it wouldn't matter.
As I keep pointing out MS is already multiplat; Bethesda, ABK, and (on ocassion) XGS.
But...
SEA OF THIEVES is a bad choice to bring to Playstation becuse as an *established* XBOX/PC online game, it has a community identity built around those platforms. Nintendo I could understand since RARE is a name that community is familar with and has fond memories of their past games. And the ABK deal is bringing good things to that community.

But Playstation, especially in 2024, is not a good fit as a portion of that community is visibly and vitriolicly against XBOX and to a lesser degree PC for losing their COD privileges moving forward. They may not be many but if iadded to SEA OF THIEVES will be trouble, there will be bannings, there will be drama.

If MS is to take advantage of Sony's 2024 game...drought...it should be with single player games where the bad blood between the communities can't impact the business. That the bad blood does exist is undeniable: witness all the bad mouthing of STARFIELD (you did see the METRO pieces?) and the ongoing angst that even the rumor of *one* XBOX original coming to Playstation is causing? (40+ comments to the mere rumor?)

Part of it is the internet being the internet but the discord between the communities is real right now. (Sony's role and tactics in trying to stop the ABK deal won't soon be forgotten.) Rationality does not factor in it.

MS doesn't need the drama.
(Some customers aren't worth the money they bring.)
Not at this time and not in an established community game.
Maybe a different game at a different time.

Good thing this is most likely a made up rumor.

 

[ShinyProton]

With the actual consoles sales ratio, this is unavoidable.
When you paid millions to develop a game, you want the best ROI possible. The picture is clear now and the PS5 ecosystem is the place to be.
Once again, for this generation, Microsoft was unable to secure/attract the mass.
The downward spiral has started before the Series S|X shipped and will continue.

So, be ready for more news like this one.

 

[John McIlhinney]

With the actual consoles sales ratio, this is unavoidable.
When you paid millions to develop a game, you want the best ROI possible. The picture is clear now and the PS5 ecosystem is the place to be.
Once again, for this generation, Microsoft was unable to secure/attract the mass.
The downward spiral has started before the Series S|X shipped and will continue.

So, be ready for more news like this one.

I guess the point is that one of the main reasons that PS has the upper hand in sales is their exclusive games so, if Xbox wants to close that gap, more exclusive games rather than fewer is perceived to be the best way to do that. The big question is where Microsoft sees their console hardware in years to come. If they have ambitions of being the best-selling console then more exclusives would make sense. If they see console hardware as losing relevance in the future then having their games everywhere they can get them makes more sense.

 

[John McIlhinney]

Why the hissy fit here? Xbox is about selling games, and subscriptions. Why shouldn't they release them everywhere?
If anything, they're looking ahead of the curve here too and bringing an industry without exclusives ans with ubiquitous releases. Which is what it should be, exclusive titles are rancidly anticonsumer.
If anything, we should expect Sony do the same with their usual delay in ten years, if they're still around by them. In the meantime, MS, ignoring the astonished faces of those who don't understand their business will be making additional millions selling their games to more users.

Whether you agree with them or not, I think the reason for the hissy fit is obvious. PS fanbois have always boasted about their exclusive games and they are right that PS has more and better exclusives than Xbox. For Xbox fanbois, it's got to hurt that, even if you genuinely believe that Xbox hardware is better and/or that Game Pass is the sheet, there's really no meaningful counter to those boasts about PS exclusives. That Microsoft would reduce the number and/or quality of Xbox exclusives makes it even harder to take the taunts from the PS crowd.

What we should or do expect from Sony makes little difference to what they'll do. Look how long it's taken for them even to release some of their games to PC. That is another market from which to make money for Sony but it does little for Xbox gamers as they still need a beefy PC to play those games. Xbox releasing their games to PS consoles is rather different.

Microsoft may have got over who has bragging rights in the console wars but many of their customers have not. The question is how many of those customers there are and how much will it take to lose them if Microsoft don't make specific efforts to keep them happy. Microsoft and other companies are often criticised for prioritising making money over serving their loyal customers and this will certainly be perceived as another example of that and probably rightfully so. Whether or not that's bad in this case is another matter but you have said that Microsoft is ignoring what certain customers want in order to make more money.

 

[TheFerrango]

Hmmm, here's hoping Xbox customers are treated better than WP users were once Microsoft started embracing other platforms. There too the reasoning was "there are customers there, it would be dumb for Microsoft not to bring their offerings there"; soon that turned into "there are more users there, so they get the updates first because it gets pushed to more people", which finally ended with MS' own platform being abandoned.

Microsoft abandons Xbox hardware and the console market in the near future, you've heard it here first, folks!

 

[John McIlhinney]

Hmmm, here's hoping Xbox customers are treated better than WP users were once Microsoft started embracing other platforms. There too the reasoning was "there are customers there, it would be dumb for Microsoft not to bring their offerings there"; soon that turned into "there are more users there, so they get the updates first because it gets pushed to more people", which finally ended with MS' own platform being abandoned.

Microsoft abandons Xbox hardware and the console market in the near future, you've heard it here first, folks!

Microsoft have been talking about platform-specific console hardware not really being a thing in the future for some time now, so I think you're definitely correct that they see that happening some time. Their giving up on Xbox hardware while Playstation is still a thing is something different. I don't think it will happen any time soon, but I certainly can't rule it out.

As far as exclusives are concerned, it will be interesting to see how many come out of Microsoft's new studios for Xbox. That might be a good indication of where they are intending to go. SoT has been around for a good while now and they may well not see it as bringing new players to Xbox any more, so it might benefit them and current players if there is an influx of new players from another platform. If there isn't a significant number of new games appearing as Xbox exclusives then that would be a bad sign.