Xbox’s CEO wants less platform exclusivity in gaming

Phil Spencer, in an interview, stated that he sees less console exclusivity happening in the future of gaming.

Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming/Xbox, believes that the merger with Activision Blizzard is on-track. He believes that games created exclusively for a single console or platform “is something we’re just going to see less and less of.”

In an interview with Bloomberg, Spencer believes that the planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which is worth nearly $100 billion AUD, is headed in a positive direction. ““I feel good about the progress that we’ve been making, but I go into the process supportive of people who maybe aren’t as close to the gaming industry asking good, hard questions about ‘what is our intent? What does this mean? If you play it out over five years, is this constricting a market? Is it growing a market?” he said.

Sony recently voiced disapproval of the deal, saying that they see no way to compete with Call of Duty, which Microsoft would own if the deal goes through. Spencer states, however, that they plan to stay committed to the multi-platform releases for Call of Duty. Going further, he stated that exclusive games simply won’t happen as much anymore.

Many games are “console exclusive” on release, which means they can only be played on one console instead of all platforms. Picture: Microsoft

“Maybe you happen in your household to buy an Xbox and I buy a PlayStation and our kids want to play together and they can’t because we bought the wrong piece of plastic to plug into our television,” Spencer said. “We really love to be able to bring more players in reducing friction, making people feel safe, secure when they’re playing, allowing them to find their friends, play with their friends, regardless of what device — I think in the long run that is good for this industry.”

While the deal continues to undergo scrutiny by various regulatory agencies around the world, Saudi Arabia approved the Microsoft deal, stating it has “no objection.” Meanwhile, Brazil is still undergoing hearings related to the deal, and a bitter back-and-forth has emerged between Sony and Microsoft. Sony is paying developers to avoid rivals, claimed Microsoft after Sony voiced its objections.

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.