The battle between Xbox and PlayStation has been raging for a long while, with Microsoft trying to beat Sony in the console arena for some time now.
And although the Redmond giant came close during the Xbox 360 generation, with the console being a successful rival to the PS3, the company fell behind by quite a bit with the Xbox One (due to bad marketing and other factors) and is now also behind Sony when it comes to console sales this gen…
Actually, according to unofficial data on vgchartz.com, Sony has now sold more than 71 million PS5s, while Microsoft is stuck at about 32 million Xbox Series X/S sold – less than half the number of consoles Sony has shifted thus far.
Of course, there’s also Nintendo and its world-conquering Switch hybrid console, which has sold an impressive 149 million units to date.
The thing is that Microsoft seems more focused on its Xbox Game Pass service these days, which runs on a variety of platforms from consoles to PCs and mobile devices. The Redmond company does not care so much whether you buy an Xbox console or not, but about whether as a gamer you’re on Game Pass or not…
Also, Microsoft is currently talking about bringing more of its games to other platforms, including the PlayStation.
There’s talk, then, of Xbox exiting the console hardware business altogether and becoming a games publisher (with Microsoft still offering the Xbox Game Pass service, that is) like Japanese company Sega did in the past.
As a matter of fact, a former Sony executive raised the possibility of Xbox going the way of Sega. So said former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden in a recent interview on the Kiwi Talkz YouTube channel, as reported on metro.co.uk.
Layden was head honcho of PlayStation Worldwide Studios, and he talked about the impact of Microsoft bringing its games to other platforms would have. There would be no “fear of missing out” for gamers on other platforms according to Layden.
“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 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”, said the former Sony exec.
Former Sony boss Shawn Layden thinks Xbox could go the way of Sega.
And it’s true that Microsoft will not only be bringing its iconic Forza Horizon franchise to PlayStation, but also the Halo series will be arriving on Nintendo Switch in the near future.
Also, the fact that Microsoft is seriously lagging behind in console sales must have been on Layden’s mind when he talked about Sega’s Dreamcast console, the last one to come out from the Japanese company before it focused on game publishing only, with the likes of Sonic and the Like a Dragon games currently under their wing.
“I was in the business when Sega brought their Dreamcast titles to PlayStation 2. And, in time, then Sega became a software-only company and have had a great transformation in that respect. They’re doing great. So it does have historical precedence”, said the former Sony man.
Microsoft, though, does not seem to be leaving the console business in the near future, despite it being outsold more than 2 to 1 by Sony so far this gen. A new console reportedly called “Xbox Prime” might be in the works and headed for release in 2026, but there’s no official confirmation of this yet. So Microsoft will be putting out consoles for another generation at least, then.
It would be a pity for them to leave the console marketing exclusively to Sony and Nintendo, even if not everything is said and done this generation, as the Xbox Series X/S may yet make a comeback. There’s also Game Pass, and coupled with the fact that Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard and the mighty Call of Duty franchise, means Xbox will be a force in gaming whatever happens in the future.