Topic: Why does it matter what platform MS releases games on?

So just a thought that occurred in my head when I was reading a post in another thread. Why does it matter if Forza Horizon 5 is on PS, why does it matter if Banjo goes on Switch?

To me it makes no sense is by having Gear of War on Playstation really going to make the game less enjoyable for you? You are Still able to play it on a Series X arent you?

For me it's a good that these IPs are no longer locked on Xbox consoles. It means more people can enjoy them which in the end means more money for the publisher. Which means these IPs have a better chance of staying around longer and even getting better and better.

So someone please tell me why this is wrong?

Well, I was thinking about how MS bought studios (big and small) and now Xbox Game Studios is one of the biggest publishers around, dominating the charts and all. And for me, that's good, even if they are leaving behind the concept of "console exclusives".

Because, let's face it: MS big wigs know what they are doing with the Xbox brand, at least from a business perspective. Yeah, from time to time we get some PR blunder, but let's remember one thing: most of the things that we lambasted Don Mattrcik for are now common things in the video game landscape, like it or not. So, if those dudes at MS are now going multiplat and MS is becoming one juggernaut publisher...well, we may be looking at the future of video games. Maybe we won't see God of War or The Last of Us on Xbox any time soon, but maybe someday that will be the norm...

And like you said, @Tasuki, getting those former exclusive games on most platforms is good for gamers, good for the industry and (especially, being a business after all) good for MS. For me, it is a win-win-win situation.

@HarmanSmith The one thing that cracks me up is how alot of people are going to say its MS going under and for them I have one thing to say Sega.

It hasn't hurt Sega at all. I remember growing up with a NES and being jealous of my friend who had a Genesis, how he played Sonic, Shinobi Golden Axe and other exclusives. If you didn't have a Genesis and wanted to play Sonic you were S.O.L. Fast forward 30 years now you can play Sonic on Xbox, Playstation or Nintendo. How many people have been introduced to Sonic that normally wouldn't have been. How much more sales have Sonic games made being on 3 platforms rather then one?

Especially with the prices of consoles going up I don't know about other but I sure can't afford buying multiple consoles. I am sure I am not the only one who would love being able to buy just one console and being able to play Gear one moment then The Last of Us the next and then finish off with a game of Super Mario Kart.

It just boggles my mind that so many people are against it.

It really does not matter where they release. It does not hurt the brand, in fact I think it makes it stronger. If MS keep going the way they are this year, they will be top publisher for 2025. From a gamers view, it just means there are more places to play these great games and if you are into the multiplayer side of any of the releases (if they have it), servers will be more populated.

From a MS point of view, it is a no brainer. PS5 has the biggest market share atm. Flood the market with your games and the outcome is just expected. Current top 3 games on the PSN store are Xbox Studio Games. It is easy money that can be funnelled back into the studios (and the budget for Game Pass Game additions lol)

@Tasuki I think eventually that will happen - maybe except for Nintendo games, most games will be multiplatform. Maybe not in the near future, but eventually, especially if costs of producing games keep rising. So, I think MS is leading the way on that front, even if some people don't like it. Like they kinda did with the Xbox One and all those features we hated at first, but now are common.

@ZeD I totally agree, and MS is seeing the payoff of all those adquisitions.

And people can say what they want, but the people who decided what studios to buy sure have a good eye - Xbox Game Studios has plenty of variety and quality as of late. Just take a look at the names: Compulsion (South of Midnight), Machine Games (Indy), Ninja Theory (Hellblade II), Double Fine (Psychonauts II) to name a few. And that's excluding Bethesda and Activision.

Even if it means that MS does stop making consoles is that really going to stop people from playing say Gears or Diablo or Doom? I get it those that say that MS is dooooomed are either Sony fans or they don't want to see their beloved Xbox consoles disappear. Then if that were to happen buy a PC.

Honestly yeah I like Xbox consoles but that's due to there Gamepass, and backwards compatibility. The fact that I can play most of my Xbox, Xbox 360 games on one console instead of having 3 Playstation consoles to play my PS library was the deal for me.

But let's say after the Series X MS leaves the console business its not like they will not have a presence in the gaming world. I will still be able to play Gamepass on multiple devices, I will still be able to use my Series X.

I don’t think it matters. In fact, Microsoft/Xbox releasing games on other platforms is much more beneficial for them, and it’s also a win for Sony. Their first party titles being released on PlayStation will sell numbers - Forza and Gears, and inevitably Halo. The amount of money they will make in two capacities is a really smart strategy.

The real question is: What is the point of having an Xbox? That’s where I think my own personal struggle is. As much as Game Pass is great for consumers,
I’m someone who prefers buying my games. GP doesn’t offer a lot for me, and the games I do want to play are coming to PlayStation, so it feels pointless for me to invest in an Xbox console. I understand that there are people who have a massive digital library of games, and with backwards compatibility being relevant, people in this ecosystem prefer to stay here.

I think next year, we are going to see Xbox first party games be day 1 on PlayStation. When that happens, I think owning an Xbox console will diminish for me because there won’t be an incentive to own one unless you’re a Game Pass user. I have no doubt that Fable, the new Gears, and possibly Perfect Dark will be released simultaneously on multiple consoles.

At the end of the day, Microsoft is going third party, similarly to Sega, and it’s going to be beneficial for everyone. We, as gamers, should stop looking at exclusives, and start asking ourselves where we want to play the games that are coming out. I personally prefer PlayStation, and some will prefer Xbox. It doesn’t matter. Just have fun with the games, which are meant for entertainment, and stop worrying about the “best” place to play them.

@Kraven Hi there! I agree with you, but I wanted to highlight one thing you said: MS is doing the smart choice, because, if new consoles remain backward compatible with the previous generation (like the jump from Xbox One to Series X and PS4 to PS5), it will be less likely that people will change "sides". Why? Because they won't be ditching their digital/physical library of games. It will be very hard for someone who has many games on their PSN/Xbox account to suddenly buy a new Xbox/PlayStation to play one single exclusive game, even if it's a great one. Only enthusiasts (like many of the users here) will have two or three consoles during the course of each generation.

So, I think (and hope, as my main platform is Xbox!) MS is going to keep offering consoles for people like me, who have our digital library on our Xbox account and they will keep offering Game Pass as an incentive to remain with them (and as a flow of cash), while they will keep publishing games on PS/Steam. I don't know, given that PS has a bigger user base, but maybe Sony will go that route someday. Maybe not in the near future, but it is possible. The only one I see remaining locked for a good chunk of time is, of course, Nintendo.

@Kraven @HarmanSmith Ok.I can see some Xbox owners getting worried if Xbox doesnt release a new console especially when it comes to their backwards compatible library but there's an easy solution, keep your Xbox Series X or S or One or whatever it is. Honestly if Xbox stops making consoles then I would more them likely just switch to PC then. To be honest Sony doesnt have interesting enough first party games for me to run out and buy a PS5 or 6 or whatever it is that they are on when that time comes.

As for my Backwards Compatible games, I have my Xbox Series X for those.

Sorry I’m a little late to this thread. As someone who grew up with the “console wars” it’s been a hard one for me to get my head around. There’s such a disdain for Xbox amidst fanboys online and I can never understand why. Lots of people sing Sony’s praises but are quick to forget they had a helping hand in pushing SEGA out of the console market. But, the more it becomes the norm the more I just shrug it off and play my Xbox. And as long as I have access to my digital library, whether that be on the next Xbox console, or another method, I’m here for the ride. Let them break barriers and hopefully other platform’s games head our way.

For Microsoft to become "3rd party" and release their 1st-party titles to Playstation is fine in a financial and marketing point of view, but you don't see Playstation 1st-party titles coming to Xbox. Only to PC. The same goes for Nintendo titles. Mario Kart and Super Mario, Legend Of Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong, etc. would make a killing on both Playstation and Xbox consoles.

Another thing is that Microsoft titles are only released as digital versions; not physical on disc, and there are times that you need a Microsoft Account to access them. Then there's the point that Microsoft 1st party games are scheduled to cost $US80 from this year's Holiday Season aka Christmas. It is Microsoft's way of giving customers a Xmas present.

It matters to me for my fear of Xbox calling it day on making consoles.
That said if there's like a 2 to 3 year window between a Xbox console version and then a PS port I'm not totally against it, more so if that means Xbox stays in the console sector

Hey everyone,
As an owner of all three current gen consoles (PS5, Series X and Switch 2), I gotta say, where Xbox releases its games DOES matter. If you don't particularly care whether or not Xbox remains in the console race or not, then I guess the OP's statements have merit.

The most common point that gets brought up (and a convincing argument I might add), is 'Why would I buy the next Xbox if I knew that all its games are gonna end up on the PS6 anyways?' The PS6, a console that DOES have exclusives. You don't need to wait for the next generation to feel the effects of what Xbox is doing. There hasn't been a day in the last year where I haven't thought about selling my Series X. The only thing staying my hand is ironically, an exclusive - Starfield. So for now, I'm keeping the Xbox and as long as its still in my possession, I may still get games for it. And when I shop on Xbox, Xbox gets money from me. Simple as that.

Like I said earlier, if you have no qualms about Xbox ceasing to make consoles, it may or may not matter to you. But as a business, if you insist on staying in the console race, it makes no sense to give all your leverage to your competitors. Look at how well Nintendo is doing, a brand that has lots of exclusives. Yes, EXCLUSIVES and NO they're not going to PC. According to figures in Japan, (and I check these sites almost on a daily basis), almost every week, the top 5 spots for most units sold for games are Switch games. For example, Death Stranding 2 snuck into 3rd place for the 1st (possibly even 2nd) week for units sold during the weeks of June and early July, with the other 4 titles all games on the Switch. Of course this info is for Japan only so.... make what you will of it.

Now someone do the math. Would Nintendo make more money if they dropped out of the console business and started selling Zelda and Mario on PS? This is actually not a rhetorical question. I actually don't know, so yeah... someone do the math. I assume Nintendo is keeping the status quo because something IS working for them.

@hayashi The thin people tend to forget is MS has never been a console company they are a software company. Sales of Windows and other software bring in way more the Xbox consoles do so yeah that's there bread and butter. Did MS make billions selling PCs? No they made the money on Windows selling and licensing Windows to PC owners.

Even though you say what's the point of me buying an Xbox if I can buy Xbox games on PS5? I mean you get Windows on whatever brand of computer you buy be it a Dell, HP, MSI etc. You are still able to play Xbox games arent you?

Bottom line people need to stop thinking of Xbox as a console company, they are not. Once they see that, they will stop being all doom and gloom and worrying about not being able to play Xbox games.

@Tasuki Hey there

I read your original post again. So the argument is less "Will we live in a better world if the big 3 held hands and shared their entire portfolio of games with each other?" but more like... "Would MS survive even with a struggling, heck even failing Xbox business?" (The key word here being failing).

I'm sure MS will survive. They'll be around. Like you said they make their money elsewhere. Hmmm... about the doom and gloom part, I think those folks are just upset that when they made the investment to buy an xbox, they expected (or at least hoped) that their investment would last.

Maybe they liked the Looking For Group feature, which is btw a very cool feature. Maybe they simply liked how the console looked or some entirely different reason. They believed in the product, they invested. Heck they may even hope a next iteration arrives in the future. And fast forward a few years into the current day, and good ol' Phil is giving out what were once exclusive games left, right and center. They may feel betrayed, especially if they only have the one console.