There is potential for a huge “cosmic shift” in the gaming space within either this year or the next one, and it all has to do with the Xbox brand. Even since the launch of the Series X/S, Microsoft has been doing all it can to try and get gamers to the console. However, it’s not working. Then, the shift came to try and get them all on the Game Pass, which is a success in context. However, even those numbers are stalling a bit, especially on the console. Thus, the company shifted again, and is now apparently putting as many of its “pillar franchises” on other systems as possible to help make even more money.
As one may expect, many are confused about what the “true goal” of Microsoft is here and whether they can have the “future they want” while also pushing everything out on every platform possible. Phil Spencer seems to think so, but others aren’t so sure. One such person is Shawn Layden, the former head of Sony. In an interview with Kiwi Talkz, the former PlayStation boss noted that the “multiplatform strategy” is a true one given the state of the industry, but it does come at a certain cost:
“What does it do to their brand? It makes the conversation harder to create the FOMO (fear of missing out) you’re trying to do that by bringing everyone to your platform by saying, ‘if you’re not here you’re missing out,’ but if it’s available on all platforms, that’s one of your marketing tactics you can’t use.”
Layden went on to cite that the Xbox brand could go the way of SEGA. That publisher was once in the console wars and even gave Nintendo a run for its money in the early days. However, after the failure of the Dreamcast, its games came to Nintendo and Sega systems, and it’s been a software-only company ever since.
To be fair to SEGA, while it was a rocky start for the company on that front, it did bounce back incredibly. Not only has it made banger tracks, but it was the publisher for some of the best RPGs that came out in 2024, not to mention, Sonic and his friends have been doing incredibly well in the gaming space recently.
Many may think that Microsoft will “go the path of SEGA,” and that could be the future, but the company has said that the Xbox will continue in the hardware space, so anything is still possible right now.
