In his role as head of Xbox and future CEO of Microsoft Gaming, any statement of phil spencer It makes noise, and rightly so. On this occasion, the executive gave his opinion on the games that are developed exclusively for a certain platform and assured that it is a modality without a future.
During an interview with Bloombergasserted that video games created for a single device “they are something we will see less and less of”. In addition, he weighed the benefits of multiplatform proposals, although he also recognized that their impact on the industry is likely to be seen in the long term.
“Maybe your household buys an Xbox and I buy a PlayStation, and our kids want to play together and they can’t because we bought the wrong piece of plastic to plug into our TVs,” Phil Spencer said. He added: “We really love bringing more gamers in to reduce friction, make people feel safe when playing games, allowing them to find their friends and play with them regardless of device. I think that’s good for this industry in the long run. And maybe in the short term, some people at some companies won’t love it. But I think as we get over the hump and see where this industry can continue to grow, it will prove true.”
Phil Spencer’s statements are clearly not random. Since the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft was announced, the possible exclusivity of Call of Duty on Xbox it has become a recurring topic of discussion. However, those from Redmond have stated from the beginning that they do not intend to apply changes to the availability of the popular shooter in first personwhich has a huge presence on PlayStation.
The future of video games is no longer in exclusive titles, according to Phil Spencer
“I will only say to players who enjoy Activision Blizzard games on the Sony platform: It is not our intention to drive communities away from that platform and we remain committed to that,” the Xbox boss had said in January, after learning of the offer. purchase for 68,700 million dollars.
What Phil Spencer did now was, basically, to ratify the position that – at least publicly – he has maintained since the beginning of this year. Beyond a personal or business conviction, it is likely that he is also part of Microsoft’s strategy. to achieve regulatory approval to close the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
After all, if the Redmond folks showed a strong interest in limiting access to some of the world’s most popular games to just Xbox users, the FTC would sure be up in arms.
Although it is also a reality that neither Phil Spencer nor Microsoft need to make Call of Duty an Xbox exclusive game. Looking ahead, the real difference is likely to be when you can incorporate future titles in the franchise—and the rest of Activision’s vast intellectual property—from day one on Game Pass.