Numerous Xbox enthusiasts breathed a sigh of relief upon learning from the Official Xbox Podcast that Microsoft intends to extend only four of its games to multiplatform availability, each older than a year. Despite this conservative approach, Xbox head Phil Spencer transparently acknowledges his vision for the future, foreseeing a decline in exclusive titles:
"My core belief is that in the next decade, exclusivity will increasingly become a rarity, with games tied to a single hardware becoming less prevalent in the industry."
The trend of more games becoming accessible on PC has been apparent in recent years, and now we see industry giants Microsoft and Sony branching out, sharing select games across platforms. On the podcast, Xbox's president of Game Content and Studios, Matt Booty, offered a compelling perspective, noting that mega-hit games like Roblox and Fortnite transcend platform boundaries, reshaping industry strategies.
It begs the question: could titles such as Roblox or Fortnite have risen to their current heights if constrained by platform exclusivity? Considering the lucrative nature of these live-service games, it stands to reason that Microsoft and Sony would covet such revenue-generating powerhouses.
So, where do you stand on this issue? Do you foresee the strategic value of exclusive games maintaining its current level of importance, or will major players like Microsoft and Sony pursue the creation of the next big phenomenon akin to Roblox, Fortnite, or Grand Theft Auto V, even at the cost of releasing games on rival platforms?