Exclusives play a massive role in the video game industry. You have three big names bringing out consoles into the marketplace. The means to get them on a specific platform might end up being each platform’s exclusives. So when these companies are bringing out their own first-party studio releases, deals are made to ensure that a third-party game might end up being exclusive to a specific platform. Some of these deals are just timed exclusives, so eventually, other platforms end up with the highlighted game.
There’s been a bit of a change lately. Not only do you have exclusives, but you also have services. Microsoft, for example, offers its Xbox Game Pass subscription service. This service gives you access to countless video game titles for a monthly fee. Best of all, their first-party video game titles will remain on the subscription service. So that can be massive savings and a means to enjoy video games you might have initially passed on. However, a new report has suggested Phil Spencer was gunning hard for exclusive deals in the past.
Thanks to a report from Tech4Games that translated a podcast Arkaden, we’re learning that Phil Spencer made some significant deals. This comes from an interview Arkaden had with Dino Patti, a game designer and former CEO of PLAYDEAD. Their works include Limbo and Inside if you’re unfamiliar with the studio name. But in particular, Inside was a game that Microsoft really wanted as an exclusive for the Xbox platform.
It’s reported that Dino had already made a deal with PlayStation for Inside. However, Phil Spencer called, telling him just how much Inside needs to be on Xbox. According to Dino, after expressing how this game already had a deal with PlayStation, Phil noted that he could make anything happen. We’re not sure what deal ended up being struck, but it was apparently too good to pass up. Inside ended up being an exclusive for Xbox, although it was only a timed exclusive deal.
Currently, Microsoft has been pushing its Xbox Game Pass subscription service. It’s their goal to make games more accessible. Their next big purchase, which will certainly help buff up their Xbox Game Pass subscription service, is Activision Blizzard. However, we’re still waiting on the CMA regulator to give Microsoft the green light.
