The next generation of systems is on the horizon, and pundits are already looking at what each company needs to do in order to become the leader of the pack. In the case of Microsoft and the Xbox Series X, it’s a case of needing new exclusives and franchises in order to win the crowds.
The PlayStation 4 & Xbox One generation is coming to a close and Sony’s machine trounced the competition. There are a lot of reasons as to why people chose the PlayStation 4, but the main one involves its exclusives. The PlayStation 4 had some incredible first-party, third-party, and timed exclusives throughout its lifespan. If someone wanted to play Bloodborne, Dreams, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Judgment, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Nioh 2, The Last Guardian, Persona 5 (and Royal), and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, then they had to pay for Sony’s system. These exclusives will continue throughout the summer with Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part II. The same is equally true of Nintendo and it’s first-party franchises with the Switch, which has now overtaken the Xbox One in terms of sales.
By comparison, the Xbox brand isn’t as exciting. Microsoft has relied on its stalwart franchises throughout the Xbox One generation, with titles in the Halo, Gears of War, and Forza series being trudged out once more. There were a few exclusives that didn’t belong to the mainstay franchises, like Sea of Thieves, but these were undercut by the fact that none of the games were truly exclusives, as they were also available on PC. This was the problem that dogged the Xbox One throughout its lifespan, as a gaming PC was a better investment than a console, as it could do all of the extra things that a PC can do along with running the games.
This isn’t to say that the Xbox One died, as it still received a ton of amazing third-party titles, and the Xbox Game Pass is still one of the best deals in gaming. The problem is that it never tried too hard to appeal to people beyond the core fanbase. Sony saw incredible success with the PlayStation 4 due to its exclusives appealing to gamers outside of its regular audience. If Microsoft wants to drum up interest in the Xbox Series X, then it needs new franchises under its belt. It’s fine to keep making Halo, Forza, and Gears games, but they need to be supplemented by creating new franchises that belong to the Xbox brand.
With all of this being said, it feels as if Microsoft is preparing well for another exclusives war. Microsoft has been buying up studios like crazy over the past few years, one of which was Ninja Theory, leading to Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II coming to PC/Xbox systems in the future. Microsoft has clearly learned its lesson from its shortcomings in the current generation and will give people more reasons to choose the Xbox Series X over the competition.
The Xbox Series X is due to be released in 2020.
