2024-02-28 03:28:00
In recent years, Microsoft’s game division has been committed to a strategy of breaking away from the “game console war”. Instead of pursuing the market share of Xbox game consoles, they have tried to promote Xbox exclusive games to other competing game platforms. , contrary to the exclusive model used by game console manufacturers in the past, announced that its four exclusive games will be launched on rival platforms such as PS5 and Nintendo Switch. Is this the end of the “console war”, or does Microsoft have a new strategy for the game business?
Microsoft is no longer playing the “console wars”! Why?
Microsoft Game CEO Phil Spencer revealed in the official Xbox Podcast that Microsoft will not stop producing exclusive games for Xbox, but at the same time, he also believes that in the next five to ten years, specific hardware will be able to play them. Games will account for less and less in the gaming industry.
Spencer declined to discuss publicly which games were included, saying only that two of them are community-driven games and the other two are smaller games. However, according to relevant sources, the first two games are “Sea of Thieves” (Sea of Thieves) and “Grounded”, and the latter is “Hi-Fi Rush” and “The Disappearance” ( Pentiment).
In an interview with “The Verge”, Spencer said that Microsoft is now focused on learning from the experience of these four games, although it is confirmed that “Starfield” and “Indiana Jones” will not be the first. It is included in the list of games, but the possibility of logging in on other platforms in the future is not ruled out. He believes that this expansion of the game to other platforms creates more possibilities in the game world, and in this world, one can truly respond to customer needs and what players and creators are looking for.
Game market analysis: Why should Xbox catch up with PS5?
Microsoft now values the games themselves more than the game consoles. For a long time, sales of Microsoft’s Xbox series of game consoles have lagged behind Sony’s PlayStation series and Nintendo’s game consoles. In 2023, PS5 sales will be approximately 22.5 million units, three times the 7.6 million units sold by Xbox Series X and Series S.
In the case that the sales volume of game consoles is not outstanding and the subscription volume of Xbox Game Pass is slowing down, if Xbox wants to expand its overall business scale, then content revenue may be a good development direction, because compared with game consoles, games It has the ability of sustainable development. After acquiring Activision Blizzard and Bethesda, Microsoft is clearly one of the largest game publishers on PlayStation and Nintendo.
This may be why even in the face of various doubts, Microsoft still insists on what the company calls “Xbox Everywhere” and is determined to expand its games to other platforms. While it’s generally believed that exclusive games can drive sales of Xbox consoles, Spencer pointed out that this is not the current situation in the gaming industry, so he also believes that now is an interesting time to change the strategic direction and use what other platforms have to assist their development.
However, Microsoft still hasn’t given up on consoles completely, and is expected to launch a new generation of consoles, which may include more console and controller options. In addition, referring to the portability of Nintendo Switch, Xbox also intends to launch handheld devices in the future to make Xbox ubiquitous.
When a reporter from “The Verge” asked Spencer what Xbox represents to Microsoft, Spencer said that Xbox is Microsoft’s gaming platform and content business, which has completely broken away from the concept of Xbox being just a game console. Next, Microsoft will begin to promote the “Xbox Everywhere” plan, hoping that Xbox can play a leading role in the development and transformation of this gaming industry and reach more new players and creators.
References: The Verge, The Verge, Euronews
Editor in charge: Lin Meixin
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