Why it matters: You would probably think that all companies would rate the success of their consoles through unit sales, but not Microsoft, apparently. Xbox CEO Phil Spencer recently acknowledged that the company Redmond does not care about more sales of machines than competitors Sony and Nintendo.
Spencer spoke on an episode of Gary Whitta’s Animal Talking podcast, and said Spencer: ‘If [selling more consoles than Sony and Nintendo] was our approach, we would not put our games on PC. We would not place our games on Xbox One; we would not do xCloud and allow people to play games on their phones. ”
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“‘How many consoles do I sell against how many consoles another company sells,’ ‘he added.” Sony like Nintendo like other companies back in the day, that’s not our approach. “
In essence, Spencer says Microsoft values the experience it offers players above pure unit sales. He notes that unlike the PlayStation 5, there are no Xbox Series X exclusives, which would encourage more consumers to opt for the machine. XSX titles will be available across their current gen consoles, the PC, and their upcoming xCloud game streaming service that counts smartphones among their compatible platforms. Microsoft is also making a lot of money from its Game Pass subscription service, which will bundle xCloud into its Ultimate tier this September. Moreover, the company can expect more people to sign up for Game Pass once the XSX launches.
Focusing on their services is a good strategy for Microsoft, given that Sony seems to have the edge in the upcoming console wars. The XSX and PS5 are still a few months away, but a recent ‘more likely to buy’ survey found that 84 percent of gamers choose Sony’s product over its rival. We’ve also heard that Sony expects to ship between 120 million and 170 million units – double that of the Xbox Series X. Should sales be closer to the latest estimate, the PS5 would be the best-selling console of all time. But one person who believes Microsoft has the better machine is Valve boss Gabe Newell.
