Shawn Layden, former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation worldwide, recently spoke about the significance of platform-exclusive games. This discussion has become more prominent lately, as Microsoft announced that several Xbox-exclusives would also be accessible on “rival” consoles. Both Grounded and Pentiment are due to come to Nintendo Switch, while Hi-Fi Rush and Sea Of Thieves are coming to PS5.
During the What’s Up PlayStation podcast, Layden mentioned, “Exclusivity will always be important; it helps focus and highlight the features of your platform. But, as your platform becomes established, the necessity of exclusivity becomes a little bit less.” He added, “What can you do here technically that you can’t do someplace else.”
Layden remarked that exclusivity could be a studio’s “Achilles’ heel” due to the escalating production costs. “It reduces your addressable market. Particularly when you’re in the world of live service gaming or free-to-play.”
Xbox boss Phil Spencer also addressed this issue, stating that he wants PlayStation and Nintendo-exclusives to launch on Xbox. “When I look at a game like Helldivers 2, and it’s a great game, kudos to the team shipping on PC and PlayStation. I’m not exactly sure who it helps in the industry by not being on Xbox,” he said.
Lastly, Player First Games’ brawler MultiVersus has announced details of a relaunch. The updated version of the game will feature a new PvE mode in addition to new characters and levels.
In conclusion, the discussion around platform-exclusives has become more heated with Microsoft’s announcement, while Layden talks about their significance and Spencer wants them accessible to more gamers
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