[ad_1]
Microsoft just acquired Zenimax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. Microsoft just bought Doom, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, and Quake. And this has been done two months before the next generation of game consoles is released. What an explosion of stars!
Playstation 5 mot Xbox Series X. OR? Not even when game consoles were first announced, did I think we would see the start of a new pure console war in 2020. To me, it has always been clear that instead, it is two different philosophies about games that are they will face.
A bit of history: The current generation of console wars that Sony won hard. It wasn’t even close. Why? The game, of course. Xbox One did not include God of War, The Last of Us, Bloodborne, Uncharted, Horizon: Zero Dawn. It didn’t matter that Xbox One had more powerful hardware – the narrow range of exclusive game titles made getting a good gaming PC just as easy.
Then, as befitting Microsoft, game streaming services and subscriptions came into play. The company has invested heavily in its Xcloud cloud-based service, which allows us to stream games to our Android phones. Additionally, Game Pass Ultimate has been launched, bringing together Game Pass subscriptions for PC and console into a single super offer. You can even rent the next-gen Xbox for a monthly cost at Elgiganten through the current Xbox All Access Sweden.
Bottom line: Microsoft ignores how you play, as long as you play its games and shopping its subscription. The Bethesda acquisition only underscores this fact. The publisher has a long tradition of making big hits first and foremost for the PC audience. No one can say that Elder Scrolls, Doom, or Fallout work better on console. Future game titles will also be tailored for Game Pass releases only and can be enjoyed regardless of the format. Of course, they still want to sell as many Xboxes as possible, but if we look at the big picture, the question doesn’t feel all that crucial anymore. And now they also get a ton of hyper-important “exclusives” for the future.
Sony, on the other hand, will continue to release fantastic exclusive games for Playstation 5. It is thanks to them that they have gained their advantage. There is also a streaming service, Playstation Now, which allows us to play console games on PC. But still, the Playstation is first and foremost a flagship game console, while the Xbox Series X is increasingly appearing as a complement to Microsoft’s gaming adventure. Now, instead, they have secured themselves with one of the most reputable game publishers in the world.
So I don’t think the next gaming war will be primarily about the consoles themselves. It will be about how we play. Microsoft is committed to a comprehensive solution that can satisfy both console and PC gamers. Although Sony also shows these trends, it does not do so with the same frenzy as its American competitor. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sony also sells more devices in the next generation.
The hype before the next game war accelerated. Tradition meets innovation, and right now it feels terribly impossible to predict how it will all end.
[ad_2]
