Will everyone be happier if Xbox gave up consoles? (Picture: Microsoft)
A reader suggests that Xbox giving up on making console would be much more profitable for Microsoft and better for the industry.
On the whole, I would say that PlayStation fans are more thin-skinned than Xbox fans but, let’s face it, neither group takes criticism of their favourite company well. I think there is a particular problem with Xbox fans though, where they mistake distaste for Microsoft’s capitalistic bully tactics for criticism of the Xbox and its games.
There’s been a lot to be upset about lately, as spending $69 billion on a video games company just seems wrong, considering what more productive use you could make of all that cash. Microsoft isn’t a charity though and so they now own the biggest video game publisher in the West and… the lowest selling console.
What’s been interesting to me personally is that no matter how much money Microsoft throws at the Xbox business nothing seems to move the needle. What’s just as interesting is their obvious surprise at it not working, but the news this week about their ‘change of strategy’ implies that they know things have got to change.
The biggest problem for Microsoft has been that Game Pass isn’t particularly popular either and keeps missing it targets, and I’m sure that’s confused them even further. At the end of the day it seems the secret to being a successful console manufacturer really is just making good games.
Except the problem for Microsoft, as boss Phil Spencer seems to realise, is that they’ve already missed their chance at beating Sony this generation and now perhaps never will, because too many people are embedded in their ecosystem.
Especially given its lack of success outside of the US and UK, the Xbox will never be bigger than PlayStation or Nintendo (at least when they’re at the top of their game) and I think Spencer in particular knows this.
PlayStation fans will obviously consider that a victory, but I honestly think it’s best for everyone if Microsoft leaves the hardware business. I’ve seen people compare this to Sega’s situation with the Dreamcast but that’s ridiculous. Sega stopped making hardware because they were broke. Microsoft is the biggest company in the world, there’s no comparison.
Not only is it mega rich but thanks to Activision Blizzard it is the biggest publishers in the West now, although only if it keeps releasing Call Of Duty and other games multiformat. If they keep doing that then they’ll be raking in the money left, right, and centre and if they made Bethesda games multiformat as well then even more so.
Forget the console, just be a Super Activision Blizzard, that owns and publishes the biggest games, including all Xbox first party games, on all formats. Companies like EA and Activision have an enormous influence on Sony and Nintendo and now Microsoft can have even more. They may not be able to be king but they can be the kingmaker.
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They can be bigger than any Western publisher has ever been and while that may still seem icky to some I think they’d prefer that to Microsoft making games exclusive to their own formats and trying to constantly undermine all their competitors.
Microsoft can make more money as a publisher, Sony and Nintendo can make money from Microsoft selling games on their formats, and not only is everyone happy but their focus is on making better games, not pointless hardware wars.
That sounds a much better future for everyone and from the way Microsoft has been talking lately I think they agree.
By reader Hulkatonic
Sales lag behind the PlayStation 5 (Picture: Microsoft)
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A reader suggests that Xbox giving up on making consoles would be much more profitable for Microsoft and better for the industry.