Exclusive games on consoles like Xbox have been one of the driving reasons for players to buy a particular device, but some companies seem to be leaning away from that these days. In an interview, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer said that exclusives could be seen less and less in the company's library going forward.
Throughout the years, consoles have always had specific titles that were exclusive to them. PlayStation had titles like the Uncharted series, The Last of Us, and Shadow of the Colossus while Xbox had Halo, Forza, and, Gears of War among others. With Microsoft not wanting to make Call of Duty an Xbox exclusive after it acquires Activision Blizzard, this could be a step in a new direction for consoles going forward.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer explained that console exclusives are “something we’re just going to see less and less of.” The interview centered on some details surrounding Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard but also mentioned how he would want to make Call of Duty available for PlayStation players. “We really love to be able to bring more players in reducing friction, making people feel safe, secure when they're playing, allowing them to find their friends, play with their friends, regardless of what device," he says. In the interview, he also acknowledges that other companies might not be crazy about the idea, but it could prove to be good for the growth of the industry.
This direction for the gaming industry could be a good one where it moves away from gatekeeping certain games from those who simply don't own the device it is exclusive to. As Spencer mentions, it could be most beneficial to multiplayer games where the only restriction is usually the console it is being played on. A great example is the Halo series and games like it where players needed to play online or locally with only those who own the same game on Xbox.
This direction for console exclusives could indeed be a good one for companies in the perspective of growth. Exclusives used to be a way for consoles to guarantee sales and players that were loyal, but the industry seems to be getting to a point where it's willing to open the playing field to everyone which can be beneficial to expand the player base. We've seen this with PlayStation games moving to PC Game Pass.
Source: Bloomberg