Phil Spencer Says Microsoft's Future Isn't In Xbox Exclusives
The fires of the console wars might've had some water thrown on them recently, but with Microsoft's massive acquisition of Activision Blizzard galloping forward, Phil Spencer is stood at the sidelines with a can of petrol. Now, as gamers question whether they'll need to own a PlayStation and an Xbox, Spencer has given an interesting insight into what's to come?
Way back when, Xbox trailed behind Sony's plethora of exclusives with the likes of Halo, Fable, and Forza. While all of these are still locked behind Microsoft's gates, Sony is losing exclusives across the board. Even staples like The Last of Us and God of War are losing some of their exclusivity as they're ported to PC. According to Spencer though, console exclusivity isn't important.
What Has Phil Spencer Said About Console Exclusivity?
Click to enlargeDiscussing the console wars and the Activision Blizzard deal, Spencer explained to Bloomberg his grand plans for the future of the gaming giant. Here, Spencer reiterated, "The idea of games made exclusively for one device is something we're just going to see less and less of."
Continuing about how the console wars won't really be a thing, Spencer added, "Maybe you happen, in your household, to buy an Xbox and I buy a PlayStation… and [our kids can't play together] because we bought the wrong piece of plastic to plug into our television." It's a strange analogy to use, but is seemingly here to quell fears Microsoft is building its own monopoly.
At the core of all of this is Activision's Call of Duty. Despite the publisher being shamed in the wake of accusations about a "frat boy culture," it's come out the other side remarkably well thanks to the record-breaking Microsoft buyout. It's not just players who are worried about the ramifications, with Sony rightly questioning whether its biggest rival has put another nail in the coffin and if it could pull Call of Duty from beneath it.
Is Call Of Duty Safe From Being An Xbox Exclusive?
We can't help but feel that if the show was on Jim Ryan's foot, it would be a different story. Even with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Sony has a first-look deal that gives PlayStation owners an advantage. Only recently, there were scathing claims Sony is blocking games from being on Game Pass. We've heard that CoD won't be going to Xbox, but still, Spencer feels the need to remind us.
Spencer is playing the long game here. Call of Duty is continuously the best-selling franchise, and while some think Elden Ring will edge ahead of MW2 in 2022, there's no way the CoDverse would be as big as it is if it was chained to a single console. Spencer's words are all well and good, and although CoD is destined to remain multi-platform, let's remember the far-off juggernaut of The Elder Scrolls 6 is confirmed as an Xbox exclusive. It's easy to spout utopian dreams about everyone sharing nicely when you're sitting in your ivory towers of acquisitions.
