March 30th 2024.
It's been quite a week in the gaming world, and we're only halfway through. Xbox's head honcho, Phil Spencer, seems to have a knack for saying outrageous things to justify why things aren't working out for him. As a reader, I couldn't help but roll my eyes when he suggested that exclusives are to blame for the current state of the console market. In fact, I believe they should be making more, not less.
Let's talk about last week's Game Developers Conference (GDC). I'll admit, it wasn't on my radar, but apparently it's a big deal for developers to give speeches and make deals. And it seems that two topics were at the forefront: the uselessness of the rumored PS5 Pro and the dumpster fire that is Xbox.
I hate to say it, but it's no secret that both Sony and Microsoft have stumbled into a disastrous situation. They can no longer afford to make big budget games, and their solution is to throw everything out the window and focus solely on live service games. It's like they're nuking the entire bath, baby included, from orbit.
Although I believe Xbox has been particularly foolish, I can't deny that Sony hasn't been making wise decisions either. Instead of simply lowering budgets, they've chosen to abandon making proper games altogether and focus solely on live service titles. It was even revealed this week that Bend Studio is working on one too. It seems like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.
But you won't hear Sony admitting to any of this. They've been silent since this whole crisis began to unfold. On the other hand, Microsoft broke their silence this week in an interview with Polygon. I say "interview" in quotes because it seemed more like a one-sided conversation with no one challenging Spencer on his questionable statements.
The problem is, he keeps painting Xbox's problems as industry-wide issues and no one is challenging him on it. He's been complaining about a lack of growth and has now shifted the blame to exclusives for this so-called "stagnation". It's ironic, considering the success of Nintendo's Switch and Sony's PlayStation 4, both of which owe a lot of their success to their exclusive titles.
Let's be real here, no one is buying an Xbox for its exclusives since the days of the Xbox 360. And that falls squarely on Phil Spencer's shoulders. He's been in charge for over a decade and has yet to deliver a must-have game for Xbox. And let's not forget, the closest they've come is with Forza, but that's not enough to sell consoles on its own.
I can't help but wonder if Spencer is using all of this as an excuse, or if he genuinely doesn't understand the importance of exclusives because he's never had a decent one. But let's not forget, he did want to make all of Bethesda's games exclusive, so he must understand their value. However, it seems he's changing his tune now. He's even going as far as to say that Gen Z doesn't understand the concept of exclusives because everything else is available on both iPhone and Android.
But here's the thing, Gen Z can range from 12 to 27 years old, so it's safe to say they're familiar with the concept of exclusive content. They'll buy a console for a good exclusive just like anyone else. But what are they supposed to be excited about on Xbox? Halo Infinite and Starfield? Xbox's biggest downfall is the lack of groundbreaking exclusives, and they haven't had one in over a decade. If they had been the ones to publish The Last of Us or Zelda: Breath of the Wild, I guarantee Spencer would be singing a different tune.
In short, Sony and Microsoft need to focus on making more exclusives, not less. The moment Sony's release schedule dried up, they started to see trouble. The situation is the complete opposite of what Microsoft is trying to portray. It's all madness, and I honestly have no idea where it's going to end. But one thing is for sure, it's not going to be good news for gamers.
As a reader, I can't help but shake my head at the current state of the console market. It's a sad reality that two of the biggest players in the industry have let things get to this point. But as a gamer, all I can do is hope that they'll come to their senses and start focusing on delivering quality exclusives for their loyal fan base. We can only wait and see.
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