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.

I'm certain one day it'll amount to a footnote in the history of the industry. The point you make about Sega and Sonic is an excellent one, how many of the younger gamers out there are even aware Sonic wasn't always everywhere? They just experience the games on their own merit and that will eventually be the case with Xbox IP, no one will remember the doomsayers and hand wringing.

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 like Microsoft's new multiplatform and game anywhere strategy, it's given me a few more options and particularly with the cloud streaming. I can play a Game Pass game on the PC then pick up where I left off on the TV in the evening. It'd be nice if Sony went in a similar direction but probably unlikely. Sega rebounded after exiting the console business to become one of the biggest publishers, Microsoft are already one of the biggest. I'd like them to stick around in the console business and keep Sony and Nintendo honest but it's not the end of the world if they don't.

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.