Head of Xbox Phil Spencer stated in a recent interview that he believes traditional game exclusives for single devices “is something we’re just going to see less and less of.”
He elaborates on this sentiment in the interview which was conducted by publication Bloomberg: “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.”
He acknowledges that “maybe in the short run, there’s some people in some companies that don’t love it”, but believes “as we get over the hump and see where this industry can continue to grow, it proves out to be true.”
Of course, Xbox has been a leading force in cross-platform releases, with the bulk of its first-party titles in recent years launching on both Xbox consoles and PC simultaneously. Additionally, it’s adopted the cross-play along with competitors PlayStation and Nintendo, which allows players to play games with each other regardless of their respective platforms.
Spencer’s comments are further supported by PlayStation’s approach to exclusivity gradually shifting through the years. Not only are some of its key first-party titles such as God Of War, The Last Of Us Part 1, Days Gone, and Marvel’s Spider-Man receiving ports to PC following their PlayStation console releases, but second-party Sony-funded Death Stranding has also recently been added to Microsoft’s PC Game Pass service.
Nintendo remains the holdout amongst the bunch, continuing to keep its first and second-party titles away from other platforms, with there being no sign of this approach changing.
In other news, former Fallout and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim developers are working on an RPG titled Wyrdsong under the newly formed Something Wicked Games.