In an FTC vs Microsoft testimony today, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said heโd end the trend of console-exclusive games if itโs in his control.
But unfortunately, the Redmond boss blames Sony for controlling the console market and deciding the competition. This comes a day after Sonyโs PlayStation head Jim Ryan said that Xboxโs Game Pass is a value-destructive offering, pushing Sony to invest more in first-party game development.
Wish to End a Bad Gaming Trend
Todayโs gaming console market is topped by two players โ Microsoftโs Xbox and Sonyโs PlayStation, which compete aggressively for game rights and market share all the time. While itโs good that we have competition among the suppliers, their tactics to keep gamers in their ecosystem are sometimes wrong.
One among them is the trend of console-exclusive games, where OEMs like Microsoft and Sony tie up with game publishers to keep their popular games exclusive to their respective consoles. This bars the players from one branded console from playing the games of others, effectively ruining their freedom.
But if a chance is given, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is ready to end this trend, as he speaks in the testimony of FTC v. Microsoft today, discussing the companyโs cloud gaming strategy, internal gaming targets, etc.
โIf it were up to me, I would love to eliminate the entire exclusives on consoles, but thatโs not for me to define, especially as a low-share player in the console market. The dominant player there [Sony] has defined market competition using exclusives, so thatโs the world we live in. I have no love for that world.โ
This comes a day after Sonyโs PlayStation chief Jim Ryan said that Xbox Game Pass is โvalue destructiveโ and Sony needs to invest more in first-party development and to publish to top Xbox in the subscription competition.