Microsoft’s software strategy comes into focus - but what about the console?
Gamescom 2024’s Opening Night Live was a lacklustre event - but one announcement changed everythiong.
This change is driven by necessity and the reality of games development and publishing.
Meanwhile, the cost of making games has ballooned massively, with triple-A titles often requiring blockbuster movie-level budgets.
Both firms are also invested to varying degrees with cloud gaming.
It all makes sense.
A game like Minecraft could never become an Xbox-exclusive.
Add them in and it’s in rude health.
Will Indiana Jones and other Xbox games arriving on PlayStation change the status quo?
Perhaps for a die-hard minority, but the impact to the overall ecosystem will likely be more limited.
There is a hardware challenge, however.
Sony will have aPlayStation 5 Prosoon and Microsoft has no plans for an enhanced Xbox Series console.
With that in mind, the sooner there is clarity on next-gen hardware, the better.
Nothing is off the table and while risky, it must be liberating for Microsoft too.
Xbox as a platform is evolving - and as Phil Spencer says, we should expect more change.
But if the platform is evolving, where does that leave the hardware?
I’m looking forward to finding out.
