Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard may not yet be able to pass the audits of various countries. Prior to this, Microsoft’s largest game acquisition was the acquisition of ZeniMax Media / Bethesda Softworks in 2021, and acquired the game IP of Bethesda and eight subsidiaries in one go .
In fact, since Microsoft established Xbox Game Studios Publishing in 2000, Microsoft has been working hard to increase the number of first-party games, and has continued to increase the weight of games for Xbox through the establishment of first-party game studios, acquisitions, etc. . However, after 20 years of hard work, Microsoft’s achievements can only be said to be “very limited.” After all, compared with the other two competitors, Microsoft’s start is still too late.
PlayStation and Nintendo are hugely popular for their first-party games. Series such as “God of War” and “” can ensure that players remain loyal to their own platforms and not switch to competitors. However, Xbox has struggled to keep up with these two when it comes to first-party games. Microsoft has tried to acquire more studios in recent years to improve its library of first-party games.
But a recent leaked dossier highlights the gap between Xbox and its rivals. The dossier revealed that the PlayStation has nearly five times as many exclusive games as the Xbox.
The chart shows that PlayStation has the most exclusive games, reaching 286, followed by Nintendo, which also has 277, and the gap with Sony is relatively small. The least is Xbox, with only 59.
Since modern consoles don’t differ much in terms of hardware specs, exclusive games can have a huge impact on consumers’ choice of a particular platform. However, Xbox has always had trouble delivering high-quality first-party games. Xbox’s most iconic game, Halo, is no longer as influential as it used to be. Although the Forza series continues to be bullish, Microsoft is still not there yet. Finding an IP that can compete with Sony and Nintendo may be why Microsoft admits that Xbox has lost the console competition.
