Xbox's Phil Spencer Says He’s Not Interested In Console Wars
It's a tale as old as time (well, since 2001), as the bitter rivalry between Sony and Microsoft wages on. Since the release of the OG Xbox, it's been pistols at dawn with the PlayStation. However, Xbox boss Phil Spencer isn't interested in waging war anymore.
As the years have gone on, the release of the various Xbox and PlayStation consoles have been well-timed to usher in the next generation of gaming. Nintendo has continued to do its own thing in the family-friendly realms of the Wii and the Switch, while Microsoft and Sony have been at each other's throats.
What Has Phil Spencer Said About The Console Wars?
Speaking to Edge Magazine (via VGC) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Xbox, Spencer was asked about the so-called console wars, "I spend zero energy on 'how do I make other gaming platforms smaller so that Xbox gets bigger'," said the Xbox bigwig.
Despite applause that the likes of Xbox Game Pass and xCloud are changing the face of modern gaming, Spencer added, "I’m more interested in the growing pie of gaming than I am our slice of the pie-eating into someone else’s."
Championing the idea of every working together, Spencer said, "And it’s why we focus on things like cross-play and cross-saves. I think about these scenarios of why you and I maybe can’t play a game together, and it shouldn’t be because of the console you bought versus the console I bought."
Waving the peace flag for his rivals, Spencer concluded, "That doesn’t help the industry grow, when we put artificial barriers up on those things.
"Whether that means we’re doing something different than the other guys, you’d have to ask them. But I’d say for us, it’s not about somebody else getting smaller so that we get bigger."
Who Is Winning The Console Wars?
Ironically, Spencer told Protocol in 2020 that he thinks of Amazon and Google as Microsoft's biggest rivals. Sticking the middle finger to what seems like his hottest competition, Spencer said, "When you talk about Nintendo and Sony, we have a ton of respect for them, but we see Amazon and Google as the main competitors going forward." Yes, because Stadia is doing SO well.
Even if Spencer is bowing out of talk about console wars, that's easy to say considering many think Xbox is winning the fight right now. Despite the PlayStation 5 outselling the Xbox Series at last count, the recent acquisition of Bethesda has laid a strong foundation for the future.
The future of Xbox exclusives is suitably massive, with the likes of Fable, Redfall, Starfield, and The Elder Scrolls 6 joining Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5. Some claim the console wars have already been won by Spencer and co., however, let's remember those swirling rumours of a PlayStation Game Pass equivalent.
It's pretty easy to say you aren't interested in waging a war of the words when it looks like you're the one in the lead. Even if Spencer is stepping aside, try telling those passionate players console wars aren't a thing.