Analyst Believes PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Will Give Xbox One X the Edge Over Sony

Can PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds push the Xbox One X to super-sales status this holiday? Whenever a big multiplatform shooter comes out, it always seems like it's Sony getting the better end of the bargain with exclusive content. Map packs for Call of Duty showing up a month early on PS4 or exclusive strikes and gear coming to games like Destiny 2 make PS4 seem like the place to be, especially for people who don't own a console yet. Xbox gamers take it in their stride, though, and industry analyst Michael Pachter doesn't seem to think that exclusive content makes that big of a difference.

In an interview with GamingBolt, Pachter called it a marketing gimmick. "I think it's kind of like, let's say the first DLC pack for Call of Duty comes out 30 days early for PS4, well, if you don't have a PS4, if you have an Xbox, and your friends have Xbox, it doesn't matter. Because you're not playing with PS4 people. So you're all getting it the same day, even if it is 30 days later.

"So I don't actually think it makes a difference at all, except for people who don't have a console yet. And yes, there are a lot of people who don't have a console yet, and they will be influenced by their friends, and so that 2:1 PS4 advantage means that twice as many people will tell their friends to get PS4 as Xbox One. So, I mean, it helps, but I think that ratio is key here."

The much bigger X-factor, according to Michael Pachter (and our common sense) is an exclusive game. Pachter is predicting that, come his holiday season, the fact that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is coming exclusively to Xbox One is going to make a big difference when it comes down to who buys a PS4 and who buys an Xbox One X.

"I don't know what it will cost, I think it will be $30 or $40, but I think that will outsell most of those Japanese games on PS4, and that's Xbox exclusive for a while- probably through the Holiday, and then it gets announced for PS4 next year, but that game will help sell systems. That game is incredible, and I can't wait for it to hit consoles."

He's not wrong, you know. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has seen tremendous success on PC with almost zero marketing. Popular streaming channels and word of mouth have propelled the game to over 5 million sales since it released, and it's a game that should do very well in the console space. Will it be enough to push the Xbox One X into an early lead after it launches this holiday?