THE hottest rumors of the moment are the ones on Xboxwhich – according to rumors – seems close to deciding to bring various of its exclusives to PlayStation (and perhaps to the not yet announced Nintendo Switch 2, assuming it has the power to do so?).
Can we believe it? Maybe yes and maybe no, but it is certainly an excellent mental exercise to imagine a future in which Microsoft publishes on all platforms and, who knows, it thus pushes the market in a direction that forces PlayStation and sooner or later Nintendo to do the same, shifting attention towards the uniqueness of the hardware and no longer just on those who finance enough exclusives.
However, let's not think too far ahead and stop at Microsoft's possible decisions in the short term. In a market that has lived on for a long time exclusives with the aim of selling consoles, Xbox could change its approach. Do you think it would mark its end? We really don't believe it. Indeed, its current strategy should not change a single iota.
Xbox Game Pass doesn't need exclusives, it is the exclusive itself
The loss of exclusives would not, at least in this generation, particularly change Microsoft's approach and consumer spending. First of all, Xbox is no longer synonymous with consoles alone. More than explicitly for some time Microsoft's strategy is already multiplatformwith PC, console, mobile and cloud at the center of its thoughts and its game distribution, which has been strengthened by the arrival of Activision Blizzard King.
Furthermore, the Xbox consoles it remains a convenient and less expensive access point than a gaming PC to Game Pass (which not even the rumors place on PlayStation) and whether the user base interested in this platform and this service is large or small, it would not change much compared to before. If someone wants to play Game Pass on console they will still have to buy Xbox.
Xbox Game Pass therefore does not need exclusives, because it is itself the exclusive. The advantage of the service, i.e. access to the (soon to be?) Microsoft exclusives such as Indiana Jones, Starfield or the upcoming Avowed, will remain valid: on PlayStation, even assuming that they arrive at the same time as the publication on Xbox and PC, these games would on sale at full price, while on Xbox Game Pass they would be affordable for a much lower monthly expense. Those who already don't want to know about Xbox Game Pass today will simply be able to purchase the game on PlayStation, bringing Microsoft a profit that they would not have obtained. Those who already prefer the advantages of Microsoft's service will not abandon it to pay €80 for another console.
For Microsoft it would be a great way to finance your studios and their own projects, so as to guarantee even more time and agility in managing Xbox Game Pass, which according to rumors is terribly expensive and for now still not profitable enough to justify even heavier investments in exclusive software.
We'll see how things go, but for what Xbox is now, multiplatform isn't a problem at all, on the contrary.
This is an editorial written by a member of the editorial team and is not necessarily representative of the editorial line of Multiplayer.it.
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