According to the grapevine, Microsoft is planning to release exclusive Xbox games (Starfield, Hi-Fi Rush, and even upcoming titles like Hellblade II) on other gaming platforms. Since console makers like Sony and Microsoft have traditionally competed by offering exclusive games on their platforms, such a move would be a drastic shift in strategy. To address these rumours, Xbox honcho Phil Spencer will give a “business update” next week.
But if Xbox games do go multi-platform, as seems likely, that would surely spell the end of the Xbox console. Sales of the latest Xbox Series X|S consoles are already lagging behind rival Sony’s PlayStation 5, and Microsoft CFO Amy Hood recently said that the console “will continue to decline over the next few years”.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has acquired a formidable stable of game studios over the years. And it would seem that the quickest way to monetise these purchases — the recent Activision Blizzard acquisition cost a eye-watering US$68.7 billion — wo…
