Head of Xbox Phil Spencer isn't a big fan of console wars. As silly as it may sound from an outsider's perspective, there is such a thing as the "console wars". It's been a thing for at least the past 20 years, though probably much longer when you factor in the intense competition between companies like Sega and Nintendo. However, the rise of the internet has meant fans got way louder. There are sections of the fan base for the various consoles that love to champion their machine as the best of the best and its competitors as the worst. Xbox and PlayStation have a very intense rivalry online, and while the two businesses definitely have to compete, it is mostly a thing that exists between fans.

However, the console wars have been at the center of the ongoing legal drama with Microsoft's acquisition of Activision. In order to argue that it should be allowed to own Activision and it won't make Microsoft unfairly powerful, Microsoft has had to argue that it is the worst of the big three platform holders. It's been interesting to watch Microsoft tout its lesser market share over the last year, but it may work in its favor. However, during a hearing today, Xbox boss Phil Spencer noted that while Xbox is losing the "console war", he thinks that idea is just a social construct and would never want to "count out" their fans. With that said, he did have some choice words about how Sony operates.

"Sony is the market leader with a considerable capability and an aggressive competitor," says Phil Spencer. "Every time we ship a game on PlayStation... Sony captures 30 percent of the revenue that we do on their platform and then they use that money among other revenue that they have to do things to try to reduce Xbox's survival on the market," says Spencer. "We try to compete, but as I said, over the last 20 years we've failed to do that effectively."

Phil Spencer is asked about the console wars and whether Microsoft has lost them. He sees Sony as an aggressive competitor that does things to "block Xbox's survival." Oh boy. Follow along: https://t.co/aPQgk9JU8L pic.twitter.com/L7BHfYXE1u

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 23, 2023

As of right not, it remains to be seen what will come of this acquisition. The closing arguments for this hearing will happen next Thursday and will result in the deal's fate being decided. Whether or not it gives Xbox the edge it claims it needs to compete remains to be seen.



Posted: Jun 26, 2023 8:32 pm
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/xbox-phil-spencer-console-wars-social-construct/