The third day of the hearing between Microsoft and the FTC has begun. Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony SIE, attended and shared his thoughts on Starry Sky becoming an Xbox exclusive.
Although Jim Ryan does not agree with Starry Sky becoming an Xbox exclusive, he also believes that Microsoft’s strategy does not amount to anti-competitive behaviour.
In fact, there are far more Sony PlayStation exclusives than Xbox exclusives. A court document published by @HazzadorGamin shows how Xbox differs from its rivals.
This leaked Confidential court document shows how far behind and less effective Microsoft is when it comes to making Xbox Exclusives vs Competition.
They have deleted documents of these graphs. pic.twitter.com/RdVlWfksSh
— HazzadorGamin,Dragon of Dojima (@HazzadorGamin) June 29, 2023
According to the document, Nintendo Switch exclusives are slightly fewer than Sony exclusives at around 277, while PlayStation exclusives have reached 296, which is around five times more than the Xbox platform (59).
According to the document’s sales figures, 3.2 million Xbox consoles were shipped in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to 7.1 million PS5 consoles.
In addition, from 2015 to 2019, the impact of various multiplatform and exclusive games on the weekly sales split between Xbox and Playstation is considered.
Exclusive games can have a significant impact on consumers’ choice of platform, as current consoles don’t differ much in terms of hardware specifications.
Some of the better known limited or exclusive games on the Sony PS platform in recent years include “God of War, Ragnarok”, “Horizon West”, “Final Fantasy 16”, “Marvel Spider-Man”, “GT Racing 7”, “Marvel Wolverine”, “Silent Hill 2 Remake”, “Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth”, “Uncharted 4”, “The Last of Us”, “Detroit: Become Human”, “Persona 5” and so on.
Xbox, on the other hand, has always lacked access to first-party titles of the highest caliber. One could argue, for example, that the recently released classic “Red Island” is a disaster, and games like “Starry Sky” are pessimistic. The impact of Halo is not as strong as it once was. Microsoft has yet to find a title that can compete with Sony and Nintendo, despite the continued success of Forza Motorsport. This may be the reason why Microsoft believes that the Xbox has lost the console war.
