EricHiggin said:
I typically only buy one console, which is normal for many casuals. If the next XB is what it should be, and nothing like the XB1 was, and has strong first party support, there is pretty much a 50/50 chance I buy it instead of a PS5, if the PS5 has cross play that is. If the PS5 doesn't have cross play, unless PS screws it up royally, odds are higher I will buy the PS5. Why? If I can play with my friends who decide to get a PS5 (which some almost definitely won't if PS5 cross play is enabled and will go back to XB), and the consoles and games are similar in many ways, or XB seems like the much better deal overall, then what's the major selling point of the PS5? If the PS5 is a closed system and I have to buy it to play with my friends who own a PS5, well then that's considerable leverage to get me to buy the PS5 one way or another, even if I decide to buy an XB first. While this scenario can play out in many ways, like for example you could say, PS has more stronger first party exclusives and XB can't compete, which would be true right now, but based on the moves and acquisitions MS has been making, that gap could close significantly next gen, and who's to say that trend doesn't continue and MS takes that entire advantage away from PS? MS is rich beyond rich. If PS officially opens the cross play doors, it's basically impossible for them to close them again, and they lose that leverage forever. If I buy the XB (first), then you can bet it's because I plan to buy and play it's exclusives and third party titles on it, and the PS5 would only be for it's first party titles. Now multiply this by how many casuals buy consoles, and you can easily see just one major problem this could cause for PS. Just think about all of the leverage they have to get exclusivity and preferential third party treatment on their platform, which leads to a tonne of money being made off those games for PS, which it can pocket or use in many ways to strengthen and grow it's own platform. Cross play may be a good idea for certain devs and pubs, but for others, and the hardware suppliers especially, it would be a hassle and a risky move. If PS ever allows it, you can bet it comes with a steep cost. I wouldn't put it past PS to offer cross play with PS5 just for PR, but charge so much for it that very very few can afford it. That way they can say we've given you the option. If free to play games behind a paywall, etc, is worthy of sweeping under the table, then so is overpriced cross play. |
First: you argue from your own standpoint, that crossplay would influence your decision AFTER other points like exclusives. That's basically it, there are so many points more important for platform-decisions than crossplay. Casuals basically don't even know what it is, until it bites them in the ass, because they wanna play with their friend and can't or they wanna play their Fortnite-account on the new Switch and they can't. But the real business effect is pretty small, there are many things before it. Most of all brand power. Remember early PS4 days? Held up mostly by ports from PS3 and weak exclusives like The Order? Still the PS4 sold extraordinarily. Why is that? Brand power. The people believed the games will come, because it is PS. A friend of mine actually said to me how he excited he is with his new PS4 - and that he rebought a game he already played on PS3 because he wanted something to play with his new PS4. So yes, pure brand power. And now this discussion? MS don't care about a few thousand people that actually would switch their platform because of crossplay. But this is an opportunity to get an attack on the Playstation brand. Because Sony left themself open for attack on this issue. That is the real reason MS is following up on this topic, because it is a good opportunity to reduce the brand power of PS, and that is something real in terms of customers.
Secondly: you argue that if MS would offer you a better value next gen than Sony, why would you stay with Sony if they don't employ tactics to keep you. That boggles my mind. You actually wanna give a company a tool that allows them to bring you in as a customer, even if they offer lesser value? Why would you want it? It is in all our interest that Sony, MS and Nintendo try their best to offer the best value to us, they can muster. Because that is the situation in which they think about the players.
Third: Even if crossplay has an effect, let's take an example of a business practice that actually makes the companies a lot of money: lootboxes. Basically foreverclouds argument could be applied here: we cannot criticize game companies for lootboxes, because it makes them money so they are excused. Everyone criticizing lootboxes is actually childish, like a child in a store crying for candy. Is that really a side we wanna take?
