Microsoft and Sony might be vying for the same portion of the marketplace, but that doesn’t mean that one company can’t acknowledge the accomplishments of the other. The two product manufacturers often borrow successful ideas from competitors in order to expand specific pieces of the business, and it looks as if Microsoft sees a great deal of good in Sony’s digital offerings.
Speaking with OXM, Microsoft Studios corporate vice-president Phil Spencer expressed his satisfaction in the work the Xbox 360 has done with downloadable games over the past few years. Projects like Castle Crashers, Limbo, and Terraria all stand out, but Spencer also spoke up about Sony’s profiecny in finding high-quality indie games to release on PSN.
"I think Sony's done a nice job of this, if you look over the last two years or so in that digital space," he said. "Journey was a fantastic game. I thought they did a really nice job and, you know, as a portfolio manager, it's my job to figure out what you're going to focus on – is it really going to matter when it comes out?"
That doesn’t mean that Microsoft is crying uncle and letting Sony lead the indie charge. Spencer has heard the rumors of his company moving away from smaller games and solely focusing on the AAA projects, but claims that’s just not true.
"It definitely won't be the case that everything's got to look like Halo," he confirmed. "We'll have smaller titles."
Spencer also recently confirmed that used games will be a major part of the Xbox One ecosystem. However, the whole message of the next Xbox should be a bit clearer in the coming weeks.
