Xbox is now multiplatform, is it possible for it to succeed? At Sony, they think so

Xbox is no longer a platform with exclusives. It’s something we must accept. Where we once could expect its new titles to appear exclusively for its console and PC, now we must expect them to also appear on other consoles. It’s inevitable. And in a way, it’s positive. That means there are no more barriers and we can enjoy games wherever we want. But this also leaves us with a specific question. Will this be positive for Xbox? For PlayStation, the answer is yes.

Xbox Game Pass DOWNLOAD

Why is it important to listen to Sony?

Listening to their main competitor in this regard may seem tricky. No one is more interested in not having competition than they are, right? But this is not exactly the case. To begin with, what Sony can gain from the strategy change, more games, is much less than what they can lose, a strategy change that can make consoles obsolete by focusing everything on services like GamePass. Something that makes it interesting to listen to them when, against all odds, they appear optimistic about the move. Especially because they have history on their side.

Sony has been in the industry for quite some time. More than Microsoft. That means they have seen more competitors come and go than those at Xbox can even imagine. And that also means they know the signs of whether someone is going to sink or can stay afloat. For example, their experience with Sega.

The Case of Sega: From Major Competitor to Major Third Party

There was a time when Sega was as big as Nintendo. Even bigger. Even though our history is Americanized, it is worth remembering that the dominance of Sega consoles in Europe and South America was absolutely indisputable. And in the 16-bit era, the Super Nintendo remained slightly above Nintendo’s console in those territories, even if it never managed to stand out in the US and Japan. Demonstrating not only that they became renowned competitors, but also one of the biggest names in the video game industry.

Unfortunately, many things happened afterwards. The fall of arcades, the misguided decisions regarding the launch of MegaCD and the release date of Sega Saturn, along with a DreamCast that couldn’t compete against the popularity of PlayStation 2, ultimately sank the company. Becoming a third party, they began producing games for others, shifting from making their own consoles to simply making games for the consoles of others.

But it worked for them. Right now they have franchises like Yakuza, Persona, or Sonic, highly valued and with great transmedia success, which have shown that their conversion in the business plan was a sensible and intelligent measure. Even if it was a hard blow for the industry and for Sega itself to abandon console production and exclusives, it is no less true that it has ended up working for them in the medium and long term. They are in an enviable position like they haven’t known since the 1990s.

Xbox: the potential next Sega

There are no longer red lines about which games will be released on other consoles. It also doesn’t seem like they will stop producing their own consoles at Xbox. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t changing their business plan and expecting to make money in another way: with their games. Turning their consoles into something secondary compared to their games and their other big priority, the Game Pass.

Of course, it is impossible to know how all this will end. It worked for Sega, but Xbox is navigating uncharted waters. Furthermore, it does so under the premise of a directive that changes its plans almost annually and with the shadow of Microsoft not being pleased with the results of the video game section always looming over it, so they do not have it easy. In any case, it does not seem that this is a bad decision. Not at all. It seems like a decision that could place Xbox in a position where not only its survival is ensured, but also its flourishing. And who knows if it might change how we perceive the industry and finally put an end to the console war once and for all.

Xbox Game Pass DOWNLOAD