Console exclusives may return

The near future of gaming consoles may look a lot like the past. Console exclusive games, once a hallmark of the industry, have, over the past few years, been steadily rarer, as the likes of Sony and Microsoft experiment with offering titles on multiple platforms. Heck, who knows what an Xbox is anymore? But it seems that the experiments did not bear fruit. Signs point to a return of exclusives, as companies rely on other ways to attract new audiences.

The idea was that by offering games like God of war and The last of us Elsewhere, especially ubiquitous ones like PC and mobile, it will attract new players who will – ideally – go on to buy a PS5. But this never happened, and Bloomberg He notes that the PC ports did not sell well, and that some within Sony worried that this strategy was weakening the PlayStation brand. With this in mind, moving from a multi-platform strategy makes sense.

But there are hints that Microsoft may also be cutting back here too, although it’s much less clear than with Sony. As part of A major leadership shakeup, said new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma One of its goals was to focus on “our core Xbox fans and gamers.” While she noted that “games are now available across devices, rather than within the confines of any single piece of hardware,” she emphasized a “renewed commitment to Xbox starting with the console that shaped our identity.” Perhaps most tellingly, in response to a fan on X about the importance of exclusive games, Sharma answered simply “I hear you.”

What these two shifts indicate is that cross-platform releases haven’t done the job of getting gamers to buy consoles as much as these companies expected. You only have to look at Nintendo to see a more clear example of this in action. The company has never released games on competing consoles, but it has made quite a splash in the mobile world with Run Super Mariowith the clear aim of introducing its games to new audiences. “I feel like Mario is the one who introduced millions of people to video games and interactive entertainment, and I believe Mario will continue to fulfill that role.” Super Mario Creator Shigeru Miyamoto told me in 2016. “I think with Run Super Mario “This is exactly what will happen.”

It’s a strategy that both Sony and Microsoft also seem to be following. They both experienced success through the likes of HBO’s adaptation of The last of us and A He falls Show on Prime Videoand there Lots of projects on the way. When these offerings succeed, they do the intended job of cross-platform gaming — introducing these franchises to new audiences — without cannibalizing sales or diluting the console’s image. Combined with major exclusives, the strategy gives this new audience a reason to invest in the console. This is especially important now, as custom consoles are becoming more difficult to sell with more competition Prices rise steadily.

For a while it looked like the future of gaming would be cross-platform. But with the biggest console makers refocusing on exclusives, some of that future may actually lie outside of gaming.