| EricHiggin said: SNY is working on first person shooters and live service games right? Since that's an XB strong point and a PS weak point? And now MS is possibly looking to put some if not all of its shooters and live service titles on PS5? Prior to those SNY shooters and live services launching on PS5? |
I think I'm at least partially onto something. No?
The two smaller games weren't part of my point but it makes sense why smaller games would go cross platform. Who's really going to be that upset at XB or any company for doing something like that with smaller games? Might as well grow them as much as possible and reap all the benefits that brings, which is mostly benefits.
Now as for the live service games. That's an XB strong suit and a PS weak point. SNY is working on that now however, and everyone knows that PS seems to hit and hit hard way more than they miss with their games. If you're XB, and you see your hardware sales faltering vs last gen, while PS5 has been quickly gaining on last gen sales and recently surpassing, you've got to be worried about what might happen if these PS live service games are solid if not big hits. How many new gamers and casuals will choose PS instead and how many existing XB owners would move to PS?
So why not try and put a few XB live service games on PS and try to build a larger audience to keep XB gamers on XB, while also potentially convincing new gamers, casuals, or even PS gamers to join XB? It's not a bad move. MS even mentioned cross play and how it's not in every game and how they want more of it, so it makes plenty of sense to branch some games out to other platforms while you're waiting and hoping for more cross play to happen. Which might not happen, because PS obviously doesn't get a major benefit from it, and MS even mentioned it's been made clear to them that GP won't be accepted by rival platforms and will only be on XB.
As for the overall messaging, it sounds like these 4 games are just a trial, and depending on how things go, they may or may not further this cross platform idea. If sales are decent, if not good or great, then odds are good that MS will slowly bring more games to other platforms, and likely smaller or live service games before they try big AAA excusive types. If sales are poor, they will probably try some bigger AAA exclusives, after maybe a year on XB/GP, to see how those would sell. The only way I see XB keeping this cross platform idea from growing too much, is if XB hardware sales or GP takes off in the next year or two. Then XB won't have to rely on other platforms.
I don't think XB has thrown in the towel and is going 3rd party, but I do get the feeling after the podcast that they're signaling that's a possible direction if this doesn't work out. Phil made some points that sound like MS has been thinking about shifting which would leave certain XB fans behind so to speak, but is willing to try a few more things before making a shift that you can't come back from. If that's the case, you gotta hand it to them.
