Phil Spencer Says Bringing Xbox Games to Switch and PS5 Will Build a Younger Audience
Spencer says Gen Z isn't down with hardware exclusivity.
Video game exclusivity has long been a double-edged sword for the industry; exclusive games can help sell a console, but they also close off players from being able to enjoy certain games. Technology has greatly changed since the years of Nintendo vs. Sega, and a lot of younger people don't like being locked out of a form of entertainment. In a new interview with Polygon, Xbox boss Phil Spencer revealed that these changing attitudes towards exclusivity are at the heart of the company's "brand pivot," which is resulting in former exclusives being released on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
Selling Gen Z on Xbox
"This notion that Xbox can only be this one device that plugs into a television isn't something we see in the Gen Z research. Because nothing else is like that for them. Some of them will have an iPhone, some will have an Android, but all the games and everything is the same," Spencer told Polygon. "I can still get to TikTok on both of them, at least for now. All of their stuff is available wherever they want. So for Xbox, our brand pivot — as we attract and maintain relevance with a younger audience — is 'Xbox is a place where I can find the great games I want to.'"
It remains to be seen whether that strategy will appeal to younger players, or if it will simply convince them to buy a different console, abandoning the Xbox hardware since those games can be played elsewhere. The reality is, Nintendo won't be abandoning exclusive games anytime soon, if ever; in the past, the company has said that the day it abandons its own hardware is the day it leaves the video game industry. PlayStation has been a little more open to bringing games to other platforms; the company has been slowly bringing its library over to PC, and has made multi-platform releases for MLB: The Show over the last few years (though it's contractually obligated to do so). Still, that doesn't mean God of War or Horizon Zero Dawn will suddenly get released on Xbox.
What Will Xbox Keep Exclusive?
Time will tell how this brand pivot plays out for Xbox, and if the company can truly attract a new, younger audience. In the interview, Spencer also talks about the importance of actually growing the gaming audience, something he claims isn't happening right now. However, it is a strange stance, considering that Spencer wants to grow the Xbox name, while also planning to keep Game Pass confined to its current platforms. Right now, no one is quite sure what to make of the company's new strategy, and that's leading to diminished confidence in the Xbox Series X|S. Whether that will change, however, remains to be seen.
Do you think exclusive games are more harmful than helpful? Do you think Microsoft is getting ready to abandon the hardware business? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!