Xbox boss Phil Spencer doesn’t think Helldivers 2‘s PlayStation 5 and PC exclusivity is beneficial for anyone. Exclusivity is a very contentious topic in the video game industry. It’s the only medium that makes you pay hundreds of dollars to experience certain games. Movies and shows are sometimes exclusive to certain streaming services, but that’s only a few bucks a month and can be canceled at any time, the cost of entry is low. For gaming? Some people may miss out on playing amazing games because of a console they chose to buy half a decade ago. When players bought The Amazing Spider-Man 2 on Xbox One in 2014, they likely didn’t expect the next Spider-Man game to be exclusive to PlayStation just 4 years later. While some of these games are made by the platform holders, sometimes they also pay third-party studios for the ability to have the exclusive rights to a game like Final Fantasy VII Remake.
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Helldivers 2 is the latest game stirring up drama about exclusive video games as the game is only available on PS5 and PC. Many are happy to see it day and date on PC and credit a lot of its success to that choice, but Xbox players have been left in the dust and it’s unclear if they will ever get the chance to play the game themselves. Xbox’s Phil Spencer told Game File that he’s a bit puzzled by the exclusivity for Helldivers 2 and doesn’t think it helps anyone in the industry.
“I will say, when I look at a game like Helldivers–and it’s a great game, kudos to the team shipping on PC and PlayStation–I’m not exactly sure who it helps in the industry by not being on Xbox. If you try to twist yourself to say, like, somehow that benefited somebody somewhere.”
Spencer did go on to note that he’s aware Xbox has done the same thing, so he’s not ignorant to the fact that a game like Starfield is only on Xbox and PC. He’s also glad to see more games are being released on more platforms like PC, allowing Helldivers 2 a wider audience. Xbox recently confirmed that it will be bringing 4 of its games to PS5 and Nintendo Switch in the near future. The titles weren’t confirmed, though it has been rumored games like Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush will be part of this move. Phil Spencer did confirm that Starfield, however.
