Xbox may be left without the support of third-party publishers, who question whether it is worth releasing games for Microsoft consoles. Low sales in Europe, combined with the strategy of launching games for Nintendo and PS5, caused distrust among some publishers.
According to Chris Dring, director of GamesIndustry.biz, some publishers have expressed doubts about Xbox and its future strategy. The person responsible for one of the sector's main publications shared his experience in the recent Game Developers Conference, where creators and studios come together. According to the executive, Xbox is in trouble as a hardware manufacturer.
The only thing a big company that released a big game last year said was, 'I don't know why we bothered supporting it. The other thing I heard (from one very prominent company and one not so prominent) was that Xbox's performance in Europe is stagnating.
Said Dring.
The Xbox drop refers to a report from late 2023 that indicates that sales of Xbox Series X and S consoles fell 52% in Europe. On the other hand, the PS5 recorded annual growth of 143% and was the best-selling console in Europe.
With sales down and the exclusive strategy unclear, some question whether Xbox continues to be a viable platform for publishing games. According to Dring, a large publisher went further and stated that the market is the PS5 and the PC.
We are facing the transition to a generation without consoles
Third-party support is critical to the success or death of a console. Despite having lost the war to Sony and Nintendo, Xbox is in a privileged position to make the leap into multiplatform. The purchase of Activision-Blizzard, Game Pass and the end of exclusivity show that Microsoft is focused on more than just one piece of hardware.
Phil Spencer, director of Microsoft Gaming, showed his interest in bringing the Xbox experience to portable consoles. Spencer believes that a Steam Deck with Game Pass would be fundamental to the company's success, so he is evaluating options to offer a version of Windows optimized for games. Ultimately, The goal is to get Game Pass into as many stores as possible.
If Xbox loses the support of some publishers, it won't be the end of the platform, although this will have a considerable impact on your catalog. The concept of “Xbox as a hardware manufacturer” is an idea that is fading over time. Microsoft knows this and is accelerating its pace to position itself for the time when we no longer need consoles to play.
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Tags: Xbox trouble Publishers debate worth supporting Microsoft consoles
