Paid exclusivity
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Platform exclusivity (also known as console exclusivity) refers to the status of a
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
being developed for and released only on certain platforms. Most commonly, it refers to only being released on a specific
video game console A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to ...
or through a specific vendor's platforms—either permanently, or for a definite period of time. Exclusivity is a topic used in discussions of the advantages and disadvantages of rival vendors in the video game market, and one which is used for
marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
by vendors involved. Industry analysts generally agree that there is a correlation between availability of exclusive titles, and hardware sales.


Usage in the video game industry

A video game's exclusivity to specific hardware may either be permanent, or timed—the latter case allowing a game to be released on different console platforms and/or PCs after a specific timeframe lapses. Permanent exclusives are often developed (first-party title), published or heavily funded by the console manufacturer. In some cases, the exclusivity may only apply to a game's console release, either for games being ported from PC to console (such as ''
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds ''PUBG: Battlegrounds'' (previously known as ''PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds'') is a battle royale game developed by PUBG Studios and published by Krafton. The game, which was inspired by the Japanese film '' Battle Royale'' (2000), is based ...
'', whose console release was a timed
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
exclusive), or games being released on PC along with a single console. Games may also include features and content that are exclusive to specific consoles, such as features that leverage a specific platform's distinguishing features, or appearances by characters from the platform's first-party franchises (such as
Banjo and Kazooie Banjo & Kazooie are a pair of fictional video game characters and the eponymous protagonists of the video game series ''Banjo-Kazooie'', created by British video game developer Rare (company), Rare. Banjo and Kazooie were both introduced as pl ...
being playable characters on the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...
version of ''
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a 2010 kart racing video game, produced for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS (February 23, 2010), and Microsoft Windows (March 3, 2010), featuring characters from multiple List of Sega video game franchises, Sega franchises. The game ...
'', and
Fox McCloud is a fictional character and the chief protagonist of Nintendo's '' Star Fox'' series. He is an anthropomorphic fox created and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takaya Imamura. He was introduced as a player character in the original 1993 video ...
from Nintendo's ''
Star Fox is an arcade style rail shooter and third person action-adventure video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, produced and published by Nintendo. The games follow the Star Fox combat team of anthropomorphic animals, led by chief protagon ...
'' series being playable in special content on the Nintendo Switch version of '' Starlink: Battle for Atlas''). Timed exclusivity may also apply to
downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enabli ...
for an otherwise multi-platform game, such as
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one ...
's exclusivity agreements with Sony Interactive Entertainment (which cover the '' Call of Duty'' franchise). Exclusives are typically at the forefront of promotional efforts during gaming conferences such as E3, in order to help drive sales of hardware, as a consumer choosing between options may be swayed by the different range of games available on each different console. Analysts have stated that sales figures in the past have indicated that there is a relation between hardware sales, and the release of software specifically for that hardware. They state that there is also data which shows that during holiday periods, when
consumer spending Consumer spending is the total money spent on final goods and services by individuals and households. There are two components of consumer spending: induced consumption (which is affected by the level of income) and autonomous consumption (which ...
is generally higher, hardware with a list of exclusive releases generally outsell those with a smaller selection. Correlations have also been drawn between the sales of
software Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. ...
, and the sales of relevant hardware, as in late 2009 the Wii dominated both the hardware and software charts. A console manufacturer may invest in or acquire other video game developers so that their expertise can be leveraged for first-party titles, such as Microsoft's acquisitions of
Lionhead Studios Lionhead Studios Limited was a British video game developer founded in July 1997 by Peter Molyneux, Mark Webley, Tim Rance, and Steve Jackson. The company is best known for the ''Black & White'' and ''Fable'' series. Lionhead started as a br ...
(''
Fable Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that illustrat ...
'') and Rare (which, up until then, had been strongly-aligned with, and minority-owned by Nintendo), and Sony's acquisitions of
Naughty Dog Naughty Dog, LLC (formerly JAM Software, Inc.) is an American first-party video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1984, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001. Gav ...
and
Insomniac Games Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California and a studio of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is m ...
—two studios that had primarily developed titles for PlayStation (with the latter having also developed Sony-published titles such as ''
Ratchet & Clank ''Ratchet & Clank'' is a series of action platformer and third-person shooter video games. The franchise was created and developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation consoles, such as PlayStation ...
'' and '' Spider-Man''). There have begun to be exceptions to the practice: Microsoft Studios-published exclusive '' Ori and the Blind Forest'' was given a Nintendo Switch port in 2019 (although this was part of a larger pattern of collaboration with the company, including cross-platform multiplayer support between the Switch and Xbox versions of ''
Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java (programming language), Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made pub ...
'', and inclusion of the title duo from the Rare-developed
Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...
game '' Banjo-Kazooie'' as a downloadable character for ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...
''). Microsoft stated that it would honor the multi-platform release plans for games from several studios that it had recently acquired (including
Obsidian Entertainment Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Irvine, California. It was founded in June 2003, shortly before the closure of Black Isle Studios, by ex-Black Isle employees Feargus Urquhart, Chris Avellone, Chris Par ...
's ''
The Outer Worlds ''The Outer Worlds'' is a 2019 action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Private Division. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows in October 2019, with a Nintendo Switch vers ...
'', whose publishing rights had already been sold to
Take-Two Interactive Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City and founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993. The company owns two major publishing labels, Rockstar Games and 2K, which operate internal ...
prior to Microsoft's purchase of the studio), but that they would focus on Xbox platform exclusives in the future. In December 2019, Sony announced plans to transition its first-party '' MLB: The Show'' franchise to multi-platform releases "as early as 2021".


Exclusivity in PC gaming

In the
PC gaming A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-dete ...
market, a form of platform exclusivity has emerged involving
digital distribution Digital distribution, also referred to as content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution, among others, is the delivery or distribution of digital media content such as audio, video, e-books, video games, and other s ...
, whereby an online retailer acquires exclusive rights to distribute a game by means of either
vertical integration In microeconomics, management and international political economy, vertical integration is a term that describes the arrangement in which the supply chain of a company is integrated and owned by that company. Usually each member of the suppl ...
between a publisher and a co-owned distribution platform, or through a financial arrangement between a publisher and a third-party distributor.
Microsoft Studios Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...
employed this strategy on certain first-party releases by making them exclusive to
Microsoft Store Microsoft Store (formerly known as Windows Store) is a digital distribution platform operated by Microsoft. It started as an app store for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 as the primary means of distributing Universal Windows Platform app ...
(formerly Windows Store), including cross-buy support with
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
. This also made the games, such as ''
Quantum Break ''Quantum Break'' is a 2016 science fiction action-adventure third-person shooter video game developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Microsoft Studios for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One. The game centers on Jack Joyce ( Shawn Ashmor ...
'', exclusive to the
Windows 10 Windows 10 is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It is the direct successor to Windows 8.1, which was released nearly two years earlier. It was released to manufacturing on July 15, 2015, and later to retail on J ...
operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also i ...
, due to the use of
Universal Windows Platform Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is a computing platform created by Microsoft and first introduced in Windows 10. The purpose of this platform is to help develop universal apps that run on Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile (discontinued), Windo ...
(UWP). Games on the UWP architecture also included technical and compatibility limitations that critics and consumers considered unfavorable and contrary to norms (such as locked frame rates and incompatibility with third-party tools). However, Microsoft would later re-release ''Quantum Break'' on Steam with support for
Windows 7 Windows 7 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, 2009. It is the successor to Windows Vista, released nearly ...
and newer, and announced in May 2019 that it would begin to offer more of its flagship first-party titles on third-party platforms such as Steam to widen their availability, and in
Win32 The Windows API, informally WinAPI, is Microsoft's core set of application programming interfaces (APIs) available in the Microsoft Windows operating systems. The name Windows API collectively refers to several different platform implementations th ...
architecture to remove the limitations of UWP.
Epic Games Store The Epic Games Store is a digital video game storefront for Microsoft Windows and macOS, operated by Epic Games. It launched in December 2018 as both a website and a standalone launcher, of which the latter is required to download and play gam ...
has faced criticism for employing this strategy. One prominent case was that of '' Metro: Exodus'', which was abruptly announced as being an Epic Games Store exclusive only shortly before its release, even after taking pre-orders on Steam. Its owner
Valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...
criticized the move as being unfair to consumers, but stated that it would still fulfill and support the game for those who had purchased it prior to the exclusivity deal. Justification for these complaints have included allegations that the store client is
spyware Spyware (a portmanteau for spying software) is software with malicious behaviour that aims to gather information about a person or organization and send it to another entity in a way that harms the user—for example, by violating their priva ...
,
sinophobia Anti-Chinese sentiment, also known as Sinophobia, is a fear or dislike of China, Chinese people or Chinese culture. It often targets Chinese minorities living outside of China and involves immigration, development of national identity in ...
(due to minority shares in the company being owned by Chinese conglomerate
Tencent Tencent Holdings Ltd. () is a Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimedia companies in the world based on revenue. It is also the wo ...
, allegedly subjecting it to Chinese government influence and possible
espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
), lacking features in comparison to the market-leading Steam (such as per-game communities and cloud saves), and subjection of the PC gaming industry to exclusivity deals reminiscent of those seen on consoles. Epic Games states that its store is more favorable to publishers by taking only a 12% share of revenue in comparison to Steam (30%). It also waives the separate 5% royalty on games that license Epic-owned
Unreal Engine Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter game '' Unreal''. Initially developed for PC first-person shooters, it has since been used in a variety of g ...
. In response to the criticism, Epic Games stated that it would be less aggressive in seeking exclusivity deals if Valve reduced its revenue cut, and that it would try to avoid repeating the "pushback" associated with the ''Metro'' controversy.


Impact of exclusivity on sales

In addition to sales data supporting the relation of hardware sales to software titles, '' CNET'' stated that "one of the biggest decisions when choosing a video game system has to be the exclusive games". The focus of E3 on exclusive titles at each manufacturer's press event also reflects the marketing power of exclusive titles, in addition to exclusive hardware. Many media reports include exclusive hardware and software as points of consideration for consumers. They also draw attention to the relevance of such exclusive titles for the developer, as there may be a potential for greater sales volume when releasing on multiple platforms. Console makers such as Microsoft,
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
and Nintendo also use exclusive titles to their advantage in order to create
marketing strategies Marketing strategy allows organizations to focus limited resources on best opportunities to increase sales and achieve a competitive advantage in the market. Strategic marketing emerged in the 1970s/80s as a distinct field of study, further buil ...
. Microsoft claimed that the ''
Halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...
'' series, specifically ''
Halo 3 ''Halo 3'' is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the ''Halo'' franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in 2001's '' Halo: Combat Evolved'' and continued in ...
'', was a key "payoff" in their strategy when entering the console market with the
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
and
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...
. The Wii's dominance during the seventh generation of consoles was credited primarily to Nintendo's focus on targeting a wider audience, rather than competing with
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
and Xbox 360 on hardware fidelity and the core market. The console distinguished itself on-launch with its innovative
Wii Remote The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact wi ...
motion controller In video games and entertainment systems, a motion controller is a type of game controller that uses accelerometers or other sensors to track motion and provide input. History Motion controllers using accelerometers are used as controllers for ...
, as well as
family-friendly A family-friendly product or service is one that is considered to be suitable for all members of an average family. Family-friendly restaurants are ones that provide service to families that have young children. Frequently, family-friendly produc ...
games that were intuitive and accessible to audiences not typically associated with video gaming. These goals were exemplified by ''
Wii Sports ''Wii Sports'' is a 2006 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The 1.0 (pre-release) version of the game was released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and the ...
''—an exclusive title which was bundled with the console, as well as other ''Wii'' series games designed with a similar positioning. By July 2007, it was reported that the Wii had outsold the PlayStation 3 six-to-one, with analysts citing a lack of "
killer A killer is someone or something that kills, such as a murderer or a serial killer. Killer may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Killer (''Home and Away''), a character from ''Home and Away'' * Killer Kane, ...
" exclusives for the platform as affecting market share. In Japan, Microsoft attempted to use the first-party exclusive ''
Blue Dragon Blue Dragon may refer to: Biology * '' Glaucus atlanticus'', a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Glaucidae * '' Glaucus marginatus'', a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Glaucidae * '' Pteraeolidia ianthina'', a she ...
''—from ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...
'' creator
Hironobu Sakaguchi is a Japanese game designer, director, producer, and writer. Originally working for Square (later Square Enix) from 1983 to 2003, he departed the company and founded independent studio Mistwalker in 2004. He is known as the creator of the ''Fin ...
—to bolster the local release of the Xbox 360. Several other third-party titles by Japanese publishers, including ''
Dead or Alive 4 is a 2005 fighting video game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo for the Xbox 360. It is the fourth main entry in the '' Dead or Alive'' fighting series. The story of the game focuses on the continuing war between the Mugen Tenshin ...
'', '' The Idolmaster'', ''
The Last Remnant is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix. It was released worldwide for Xbox 360 in November 2008 and for Microsoft Windows in March 2009. A PlayStation 3 version was originally announced as well, but this version was ...
'', ''
Vampire Rain is a survival horror stealth game, stealth video game developed by Artoon. It was released for the Xbox 360 in Japan on January 25, 2007, and in North America on July 3, 2007. The game was later ported to the PlayStation 3 under the title ''Vam ...
'', and ''
Tales of Vesperia is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio. The tenth mainline entry in the '' Tales'' series, it was released for the Xbox 360 and published in Japan and North America by Namco Bandai Games in 2008, and in European territor ...
'', also chose to initially target the 360 exclusively. A developer of ''Vampire Rain'' stated that Microsoft was providing stronger support for developers on Xbox 360 than Sony was for PS3, but when the 360's lack of long-term success in the market became more apparent, they began making ports of the games for PS3 with additional exclusive content to recuperate development costs. By contrast, the Wii's
eighth generation Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, or ⅛, a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an i ...
successor, the
Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. Th ...
, was hampered by a weak lineup of launch titles, an unclear vision for its
Wii U GamePad The Wii U GamePad is the standard game controller for Nintendo's Wii U home video game console. Incorporating traits from tablet computers, the GamePad has traditional input methods (such as buttons, dual analog sticks, and a D-pad), touchscre ...
peripheral, and a resulting lack of third-party support. Nintendo relied primarily on exclusives from its first-party franchises—such as ''
Mario Kart 8 is a 2014 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. It features the ''Mario Kart'' series' game mechanics, in which players drive go-karts using ''Mario'' franchise characters in various race formats. Items placed a ...
'', ''
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and (colloquially and collectively referred to as ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' or ''Smash 4'') is a group of two 2014 crossover fighting video games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS ...
'', and the new IP ''
Splatoon is a third-person shooter video game franchise created by Hisashi Nogami, and developed and owned by Nintendo. Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth inhabited by anthropomorphic marine animals, the series centers around fictional cephalopods known ...
''—in order to grow the fledgling console's market share. The Wii U never reached the same market share as its competitors, PlayStation 4 and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
, and manufacturing was discontinued in 2017. Some writers did note that in terms of critical reception, the Wii U did have a stronger library of exclusive titles than its competitors at the time. As of March 2016, the Wii U had more exclusive titles with aggregate scores on
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
within the "Good" (75-89) and "Amazing" (89-100) ranking tiers than PS4 and Xbox One combined, and the most within the "Amazing" category (''
Bayonetta 2 is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Nintendo. It is the sequel to the 2009 game ''Bayonetta'', and was directed by Yusuke Hashimoto and produced by Atsushi Inaba, Akiko Kuroda, and Hitoshi Yamagami, under ...
'', ''
Super Mario 3D World is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U in 2013. It is the sixth original 3D platform game in the ''Super Mario'' series and the sequel to '' Super Mario 3D Land'' (2011) for the Nintendo 3DS. Players control Ma ...
'', and ''Super Smash Bros.''; the PS4 only had one "Amazing"-ranked game, ''
Bloodborne is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. ''Bloodborne'' follows the player's character, a Hunter, through the decrepit Gothic, Victorian-era–inspired ...
'', and Xbox One had none). The eighth generation of consoles was dominated primarily by the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Microsoft's
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
console faced criticism for not having as many "compelling" exclusives, with critics citing Microsoft's weaker array of first-party studios as a factor. Microsoft has also increasingly preferred dual releases on Microsoft Windows and Xbox One over full Xbox console exclusivity, and deals for console ports of existing PC games to be timed exclusives to Xbox One. In addition, the company has focused on other distinguishing features of its ecosystem, bolstering an emphasis on
backward compatibility Backward compatibility (sometimes known as backwards compatibility) is a property of an operating system, product, or technology that allows for interoperability with an older legacy system, or with input designed for such a system, especiall ...
, its
Xbox Game Pass Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass are video game subscription services from Microsoft. Both services grant users access to a rotating catalog of games from a range of publishers and other premium services, including Xbox Live Gold and EA Play, fo ...
subscription service, and making major studio acquisitions to bolster its first-party development, including most prominently
ZeniMax Media ZeniMax Media Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Rockville, Maryland, and founded in 1999. The company owns publisher Bethesda Softworks with its development unit Bethesda Game Studios (developer of ''The Elder Scrolls,'' ...
—parent company of Bethesda Softworks and
Id Software id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: game programmer, programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer T ...
. Microsoft stated that it would honor the multi-platform releases and exclusivity contracts for games already in development (such as Bethesda-published ''
Deathloop ''Deathloop'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by Arkane Lyon and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was released on 14 September 2021 for PlayStation 5 and Windows, and on 20 September 2022 for Xbox Series X/S. It receive ...
'', which is exclusive to PlayStation 5), but that future games would be "first and better" on Xbox. After Microsoft's January 2022 announcement of its intent to acquire
Activision Blizzard Activision Blizzard, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Santa Monica, California. It was founded in July 2008 through the merger of Activision, Inc. (the publicly traded parent company of Activision Publishing) and Viven ...
, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, by contrast, stated that it would continue to "support" communities for its games on other platforms. Sony warned that it "expect Microsoft to "abide by contractual agreements and continue to ensure Activision games are multiplatform." In August 2022, as part of a Brazilian antitrust filing tied to the purchase, Microsoft accused Sony of allegedly paying publishers to not place their games on subscription services.


References

{{reflist Video game marketing