The console war between Xbox and PlayStation is probably as old as the consoles themselves. For years, Sony and Microsoft have been engaged in an unrelenting battle for gamers, who are also willing to passionately defend their favorite platform in lively discussions. However, the head of Xbox has now put an end to the console war in a way.
Who is Phil Spencer?
- Phil Spencer is the head of Xbox. His official job title is “CEO of Microsoft Gaming.”
- Spencer leads the interactive entertainment business at Microsoft and has worked for over 30 years in the technology and entertainment industry (via Wall Street Journal).
- Before becoming CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Spencer held positions at Microsoft such as “Executive Vice President Gaming” and “Head of Xbox.”
Phil Spencer recently spoke about the console war in an interview with XboxEra on YouTube and shared his views on the release of games on other platforms.
One of the games that will also be released on PS5 or Steam, despite being part of Microsoft’s game portfolio, is the upcoming Doom: The Dark Ages. Here you can see a trailer:
What does Spencer say about the console war? Spencer explains that it makes no sense to him to limit games to just one platform. That may have made sense in the past when consoles themselves were the biggest in the industry, but nowadays games are bigger and more important.
Spencer believes that restricting where a game can be played does not help the games. Therefore, he is no longer trying to persuade players to switch to an Xbox:
“There are people – whether their libraries are on PlayStation or Nintendo, whether they prefer the controller, or whether they simply like the games available there – and I don’t want to look at that and say: ‘Well, there’s no way we can build a business there or find fans for our franchise.’ I’m no longer trying to move them all to Xbox. […] We have all invested so much in our games that we should simply make it possible for more people to play them.”
Spencer further explains that the money they earn from selling games on other platforms helps them develop great portfolios, even though Xbox earns more money on its own platform.
Microsoft plans to sell games on PlayStation, even if they earn less there than on their own Xbox.
Spencer has emphasized in the past that Xbox wants to help the gaming industry grow. He therefore also believes that it would not help anyone if competitor Sony shrinks. Xbox does not want to grow at the expense of other market participants like Sony and PlayStation: “If we grow and Sony shrinks, it helps no one” – Xbox head defends PlayStation
