Recent investigations into Xbox’s Activision-Blizzard deal have called the necessity of third-party exclusives into question, but they’re an important part in giving consoles their identity.
Almost for as long as games consoles have existed, so too have exclusives that you can only play on one specific platform. These days we tend to think of AAA made by first-party game developers themselves – your God of War Ragnaroks and Halos of the world, for example – as the only exclusive games that matter. But those made by third-party independent publishers are just as important too; not only in helping players decide what console to buy or play on but to also keep the industry competitive.
Microsoft seemingly knows this more than anyone, spending endless dollars to acquire developers and publishers with the intention of bolstering its Xbox Series X|S platform with new and exclusive titles to play. The idea is that by investing in creative talent capable of making games that players are unable to enjoy anywhere else, consumers will choose Microsoft’s console platform over any other and in the process subscribe to Xbox Game Pass (because it’s cheaper than buying AAA games piecemeal).
