Harsh statements have been recently made by Satya Nadella, the current CEO of Microsoft. The top representative of the Redmond-based company has strongly criticized console-exclusive video games and also taken a swipe at its main rival at present, Sony, and its PlayStation division.
In the context of the ongoing FTC and Microsoft lawsuit over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by the latter, the head of Microsoft has stated, “If it were up to me, I would love to eliminate console exclusives, but that’s not for me to specifically define, as I have a low market share in the console market.”
Here, Nadella already drops the first bombshell, but the grand finale comes next: “The dominant entity [Sony] has defined competition in the market using exclusives, so this is the world we live in. I don’t like that world at all.” Clear, direct, and without mincing words.
These statements from Nadella come shortly after learning that Jim Ryan, the head of PlayStation, has also launched his attacks on Microsoft. In the trial, Ryan commented that Xbox Game Pass offers a “destructive to the value” of developed games, which is why Sony is investing “massively” in its own productions.
There is no doubt that Nadella’s comments are made from the perspective of being the third party in the market, as Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, also mentioned during this trial. Lagging behind Nintendo and Sony, Microsoft has a “low market share” (sic) and needs to make a leap to become more competitive. If Xbox exclusives were the ones achieving success instead of Nintendo or PlayStation, would we have heard him uttering these words? I have my doubts…
Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.
