So many of us grew up with the idea of the console wars. The Sonic vs Mario debate, in some circles, was an all-consuming matter, and one that could make or break potential lifelong friendships.
A decade or so later, of course, the two rivals would collaborate on 2008’s Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. As the years went on, Xbox would do its bit to strike a blow against console exclusivity. The arrival of the beloved Cuphead on the Nintendo Switch, for instance.
Now, amid the news that the Halo series is making its way to PS5, Xbox has announced that it’s more concerned about other factors than other consoles. Speaking to The New York Times (via Push Square), Xbox Game Studios’ Matt Booty said:
“Our biggest competition isn’t another console. We are competing more and more with everything from TikTok to movies.”
It’s true that millions of us now have an abundance of entertainment options beyond video games, from streaming services and social media to more besides. The goalposts have certainly shifted, then, from times when the question of SNES versus Sega Genesis was at the forefront of the minds of a generation.
Matt Booty went on to state that this way of thinking is derived from the concept of “seeking to meet people where they are.” Of course, where they are a lot of the time is in the bathroom watching a lot of Instagram reels, or on the couch rewatching their favorite comfort show on Netflix yet again, and that’s some potential gaming time that’s being lost.
Furthering Xbox’s Strategy
Perhaps it would be nice to imagine a world where the gaming industry is more united and committed to trying and claim as much of that time as possible. Pooling resources and ensuring that the best games are accessible on as many systems as possible.
Naturally, a lot of the world’s biggest games are multiplatform, and not being confined to a single system is an enormous advantage in that regard. This isn’t the first Xbox bosses have said on the benefits of making big properties available on other systems, and it’s clearly a common sentiment among the leadership.
The extent to which it’s practical, plausible, and advantageous to do so, however, is a matter of opinion. Seeing Gears of War: Reloaded also come to PS5 was surely a pleasant surprise for those who haven’t invested in an Xbox system of late, and the same is surely true of the new Halo title (though it has also attracted some controversy for some changes made).
There’s no denying, though, that Xbox has made some less-than-popular and potentially damaging decisions of late (the Game Pass price hike being one prominent example). Sharing your biggest (former) exclusive properties with other systems can harm your ability to compete with them.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
