Xbox could become the new Sega says ex-PlayStation boss-Adam Starkey-Entertainment – Metro

Has Microsoft been Dreamcasted? (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Xbox could be going the same way as Sega, according to former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden, as he addresses Microsoft’s strategy.

As Microsoft continues to bring more Xbox games to other platforms, the future of Xbox has become a huge talking point within the games industry.

While the publisher has confirmed it is not leaving the console business behind (for the next generation at least), Microsoft’s recent marketing push downplays the Xbox Series X/S in favour of its cross-device streaming service Xbox Game Pass.

When coupled with the gradual rollout of Xbox games on other platforms, there’s a growing concern that Xbox’s identity could diminish in the minds of consumers – pushing them out of the conversation with Sony and Nintendo.

This topic is addressed in a new interview with former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden, who has recently been very vocal on a range of issues affecting the games industry.

When asked about concerns around Microsoft’s multiplatform strategy on the Kiwi Talkz YouTube channel, Layden said: ‘Multiplatform is a strategy, particularly in a world where the cost of development is increasing so dramatically.

‘Multiplatform means widening your addressable market, as the marketing guys say. Just getting more people a chance to see it. I certainly can understand, appreciate, and welcome that ability to have Xbox games appearing on other platforms.

‘What does it do to their brand? It makes the conversation harder to create the FOMO [fear of missing out]. You’re trying to do that by bringing everyone to your platform saying, ‘if you’re not here you’re missing out,’ but if it’s available on all platforms, that’s one of your marketing tactics you can’t use. You can’t say it’s only available here, if it’s available everywhere.’

Layden, who was chairman of PlayStation Worldwide Studios when he left Sony in 2019, went onto to make an apt, if perhaps unflattering, comparison as to Xbox’s potential future.

‘We’ve seen it before,’ he added. ‘I was in the business when Sega brought their Dreamcast titles to PlayStation 2. And, in time, then Sega became a software-only company and have had a great transformation in that respect. They’re doing great. So it does have historical precedence.’

Sega’s final console, the Dreamcast, was discontinued in 2001, three years after it launched. Since then, the company has continued to publish games across multiple platforms, specifically the likes of Sonic The Hedgehog, the Like A Dragon series, and Atlus’s Persona games.

Sega has found success with the Like A Dragon series (Sega)

While it’s unclear if this comparison was intended as a sleight against Microsoft’s plans to stay in the hardware conversation, his comments do emphasise the tough road ahead for Xbox in making any future console, whether handheld or otherwise, an enticing proposition.

The acquisition of Activision Blizzard, however, has given Xbox a financial lift, so the company’s position as one of the largest game publishers in the world could negate any damage from low hardware sales moving forward – delaying any potential exit from the console space like Sega.

Layden previously discussed platform exclusivity in an interview last year, describing it as something which ‘becomes less important’ over time.

‘If you’ve established your platform and people understand what it is you can bring and why it will be different here than that game would be over there, then you’ve solved the argument,’ he said.

Microsoft’s multiplatform approach looks set to only accelerate this year, with Indiana Jones And The Great Circle and Forza Horizon 5 both coming to PlayStation 5. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has also confirmed Xbox games are coming to the Switch 2, with rumours pointing to Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Forza is coming to PlayStation (Playground Games)

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