Over the last month, there have been a lot of rumors about Xbox exclusives releasing on platforms like Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. While things started off with rumors about Hi-Fi Rush, one of Xbox’s smaller exclusives, we’ve also started to hear about major games like Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle coming to competing platforms. These rumors have some fans speculating if Xbox will leave the console business altogether, focusing instead on releasing games on other platforms. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has now addressed these rumors in a post on Twitter, and has announced a “business update event.”
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“We’re listening and we hear you. We’ve been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox. Stay tuned,” Spencer wrote on Twitter.
If that statement was meant to make Xbox fans feel better about the future, it seems to have had the opposite effect so far. Replies to the Tweet have been filled with fans wondering why the company is dragging things out, and not providing any kind of answers sooner. It’s a strange strategy, and fans are now left wondering where things will go from here.
The Value of First-Party Games
For decades, first-party games were the single reason to purchase a video game system. The most beloved consoles of all-time are remembered most for the games that could only be played on that platform. Games like Sonic the Hedgehog, The Last of Us, and Halo put their respective consoles on the map, and made people want to buy a system they might not have otherwise had.
Things have been changing over the last few years, however. Xbox started by releasing many of its first-party games on PC the same day as console, and has brought many of its smaller games to PlayStation and Switch. PlayStation has increasingly brought its exclusives to PC as well, though the company has avoided doing so on day one. Fans of both companies have largely opposed this practice, as they feel making all exclusives available elsewhere dilutes the value of the brand.
Is Xbox the Next Sega?
Sonic the Hedgehog might have put the Sega Genesis on the map, but a number of poor business decisions led to Sega leaving the console business, and embracing a multi-platform future. That move inevitably proved to be the best for Sega, but it took a while for fans (and even Sega employees) to feel comfortable with the decision. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft will similarly abandon the Xbox Series X|S, and fans can hardly be blamed for worrying about the future. For the time being, everyone will just have to wait to see what gets announced later this month.
Are you concerned about Xbox abandoning hardware? Do you think the company’s future is in multi-platform games? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
