Microsoft will address the future of Xbox next week
The Xbox community is in meltdown after leaks point to exclusive games like Starfield coming to PS5
With the Xbox community in turmoil over rumors that Microsoft is bringing Xbox exclusives to PS5, Phil Spencer has taken to X to quell the fire.
“We’re listening and we hear you,” said Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer in a post on X. “We’ve been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox. Stay tuned.”
The reaction to the news that Starfield, Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush and possibly even Gears of War are heading to PS5 has been catastrophic. Notable names in the Xbox community have stepped back or retired their personas, and some gamers have even traded in their Xbox Series X console and games.
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Xbox’s future
🔜 Microsoft will address the future of Xbox next week
🗣️ Microsoft’s CEO of Gaming posted the news on X
🔥 Xbox fans are in meltdown over the rumors Xbox games are coming to PS5
🥲 It appears that Microsoft is pivoting to become a third-party publisher
While it’s great to see Spencer address the outcry online, it seems like the damage has already been done. I strongly believe that if Starfield comes to PS5 it’s game over for Xbox, and judging from the reaction online I stand by that opinion.
That’s not to say that Xbox will disappear anytime soon. Microsoft wouldn’t have spent $68 on Activision Blizzard just to bow out now. But it does mean the prospect of anyone buying an Xbox console over the competition will be extremely unlikely.
Microsoft is at a crossroads, then. Depending on how it moves forward, it could spell the end of the Xbox brand as we know it.
Microsoft has two options next week: it either comes out strong and squashes all the rumors, reiterating its stance that the company is in it for the long haul. Or it concedes that its strategy hasn’t worked and it’s following in the footsteps of Sega, becoming a third-party publisher in all but name.