Phil Spencer opens up: Xbox can no longer win the console war against PlayStation

The last few weeks have not been the best for Microsoft and their business in the video game industry. UK CMA blockade of Activision Blizzard purchase added to Xbox Series X|S sales crash and very poor launch red waterfall. It is in this context Phil SpencerCEO of Microsoft Gaming, acknowledged that Xbox no longer has the option to win the console war against the PlayStation.

The Xbox leader’s claims may raise more or less surprises, but they are born from a genuine statement. According to the executive, his company has already assumed that it is impossible to take market share from Sony; nevertheless, They turned that honesty into a broader commercial and editorial strategy. that today is no longer limited to the world of consoles, but also to PC, cloud and mobile gaming.

Phil Spencer’s statements came to light after an interview with Kind of funny games. In it, the Xbox boss devoted most of his involvement to accepting the bugs caused by the recent launch red waterfall. He shooter Co-op Arkane was one of the most anticipated AAA exclusives on the platform, but its debut was marked by technical glitches and broken promises that the manager didn’t shy away from. And towards the end of the conversation, he stated that although the console remains the core of the Xbox brand, creating great games is no longer enough to reverse the trend in the competition with the PlayStation.

“Of course, we remain focused on making our console as user-friendly as possible. […] We don’t sell more consoles than Sony or Nintendo. There is no big decision or victory for us and I know this will upset a lot of people.. But it’s true,” Spencer said, adding that since the Xbox is third in hardware sales, it’s impossible to reverse the console war.

Console War and Waste of Xbox One

It is clear that the console war goes way back than the rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation. However, it is also a reality that Microsoft and Sony have encouraged this and publicly acknowledged it. In fact, Peter Moore, one of the greats behind the original Xbox and Xbox 360, made sure they wanted to challenge each other, not create a rift in the community.

While the rivalry between the two biggest consoles on the market has truly never stopped, Phil Spencer claims there was one key factor that hindered them: the lack of exclusive games on Xbox One.

“Many times I have seen the comment that if you make great games, everything will be reversed. It’s not true that if we go out and make great games, we’ll suddenly see a dramatic shift in console market share. We lost the worst generation with Xbox One, where everyone built their own digital library of games.. We want our Xbox community to feel great, but the idea that if we just focus on great games for our consoles, we’ll somehow win the war doesn’t really fit with the reality of most people.”

Of course, many may see Phil Spencer’s statements as a mere justification for the aggressive focus on Xbox Game Pass and cloud gaming. Or even as an excuse for spending all of 2022 without releasing an Xbox Series X|S-exclusive AAA game. It’s true that those from Redmond still have a silver bullet this year: Starfield. Although the CEO of Microsoft Gaming is convinced that Bethesda’s long-awaited title won’t change history either, no matter how successful it turns out to be.

“There is no world in which Starfield be 11 out of 10 and people go and sell their PS5s. It just won’t happen”he stated, adding: “I know some people want us to be the best green version of what the boys in blue do. [Playstation]. All I want to tell you is that Xbox won’t win by staying on someone’s trail.” As much as they hate it, it’s clear that the discussion about the console war has already died down in Redmond.