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Former PlayStation Exec Applauds Xbox for Being Agile in a Changing Market

Former PlayStation Exec Applauds Xbox for Being Agile in a Changing Market - News

by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 February 2025 / 8,951 Views

Former PlayStation executive Adam Boyes in an interview on Gamertag Radio was asked about Microsoft's shifting focus to releasing more multiplatform games. He applauded Xbox for being "agile" in a gaming market that is changing.

He stated (via  VideoGamesChronicle) Xbox is now "an entertainment provider" and is no longer "just a disc producer and disc distributor."

"So if we think about that, the analogy that maybe PlayStation is HBO, Microsoft is Netflix, and Nintendo is Disney, then their job is to get incredibly interactive and engaging entertainment out to as many people as possible."

He added, "I understand why traditionalists are looking at that being like, 'I don’t like change! I want it to only be where I want it to be!' And that’s the bit where my logic gap starts to break.

"Because when Phil [Spencer] and his team are putting amazing content on more platforms, who’s the victim? I ask a lot of people, 'who’s the victim?' And there aren't any, except for people who are like, 'I only want it where I bought it, and that’s what I expect!'"

Boyes goes on to say that he "applauds [Xbox] for being agile enough in a changing and transitioning market to expand."

He does admit Xbox releasing more of its games on other platforms does present challenges when it comes to future Xbox consoles to convince people to purchase it when their games are on other platforms.

"You're absolutely right that when we're trying to sell people the new version [of a console]… is it 8k, is it 16k, is it 32k? Where are we going from here? Right now, I’m happy with the number of Ks and the fidelity – it’s great. Then the value proposition changes."

Xbox has been releasing more of its games on other consoles - the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation. This includes Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded in 2024. Doom: The Dark Ages and The Outer Worlds 2 will launch day one on the PlayStation 5, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Forza Horizon 5 are coming to PS5 this Spring.


A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Bluesky.


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33 Comments
VAMatt (on 01 February 2025)

He's absolutely right. Microsoft is doing what makes sense for their business. I would assume they aren't in this position intentionally, but I think the current state of Xbox is more in line with Microsoft's core business (software sales) than it ever has been. If they were the market leader, or competitive for the market lead in hardware sales, maybe they wouldn't have so many games on other systems. But, that's not the position they're in. So, the silver lining here is that they can get out of the money losing console business soon, and focus on what their company has been doing well for 40+ years - developing and selling software.

  • +11
JohnVG VAMatt (on 01 February 2025)

And how do you know Microsoft is losing money selling hardware?

  • -8
trunkswd JohnVG (on 01 February 2025)

At least as of 2021 they have never made profit from selling hardware.

Xbox business development vice president Lori Wright was asked in 2021 "has Microsoft ever earned a profit on the sale of an Xbox console?" and responded, "no."

https://www.vgchartz.com/article/448638/microsoft-has-never-made-a-profit-from-xbox-hardware/

  • +8
JohnVG trunkswd (on 02 February 2025)

https://www.vgchartz.com/article/448638/microsoft-has-never-made-a-profit-from-xbox-hardware/
Citing:
"06 May 2021"
"The console is sold at a loss INITIALLY & USUALLY FOR SOME TIME AFTER. The platform holder recoups the investment in hardware via its own first party game sale [and] the cut it takes from third parties that sell games"

so... like Sony does since PS1? XD

That interview is from the FIRST YEAR of Series in the market, of course they subsidized Series price then. SONY DID THE SAME with PS5. Man... Sony fans know nothing about crap... they only repeat their Sony PROPAGANDA as parrots, is just... amazing. YO, listen:

One of the most subsidized consoles I've ever seen was the PS3. Remember the "599 US Dollars" one? the one that scared lots of possible buyers? that same one? It was subsidized AS HELL by Sony. The machine costed a lot more than 600 dollars. That's the reason they started to cut in its hardware almost instantly (less ports, less GB in Hard Disk, blowing up the PS2 hardware compatibility...) when they discovered the machine wasn't selling well enough the first 2 months.

Maybe the only really successful "brand new console" It was never subsidized was the Wii, cause it was basically a Gamecube, and Gamecube costed a LOT to develop ... but 6 years BEFORE.
That's the reason Nintendo stupidly tried to do the same move in 2012, with WiiU, reusing that same hardware with another new gimmick, and they almost fucking died as a company, because they relaunched, AGAIN, a good 2001 hardware... in 2012: developers did not even know how to adapt its new games to it, and players were fed up of gimmicks hiding an old hardware, by then.

  • -4
LivncA_Dis3 JohnVG (on 01 February 2025)

Sony and xbox keep saying they lose money when releasing new hardware,

Where they make money is the software

  • +7
JRPGfan LivncA_Dis3 (on 02 February 2025)

The thing is.... Gamepass cannibalize sales on xbox, upwards of 80% sales losses.
So you go "well gamepass is just making the money a differnt route, than direct sales", yeah, but thats not profit.... thats instead of game sales, they have that, to pay their studios the costs of makeing said games. Xbox studies are HUGE, and their customer base, did not grow, enough to support it... hence why games are now going to PS/PC as well. They might not view, it as worthwhile to sell hardware, if it takes too long or is too difficult to make that back from gamepass.

  • +1
JohnVG JRPGfan (on 02 February 2025)

Why do you suppose so many things about Microsoft and not about Sony?

"Xbox studies are HUGE, and their customer base, did not grow, enough to support it... hence why games are now going to PS/PC as well"

Reaaally? They have no costumer base so MS now went to PC? I remember to play MS games like... I don't know,.. Rise of Nations or... Halo? more than 20 years ago in the PC, but OK... sure.

Maybe who is really trying to save its own situation going to PC... is Sony, porting (using its own home studios) everything they launched for PS4 and PS5, and doing remasters as crazy of everything they launched more than 2 years ago, for its consoles. Remasters no one really needs.
Why? cause they are financially trapped by its huge costs in their US studios. And when one of those studios fail to launch a successful game, it gets cancelled by Sony. Also, they closed (who knows why...) Japan Studios, the one who managed all the classic japanese first party franchises since PS1 (with the only exception of GT, since Polyphony was spun off from Japan Studios around 1999).

A strange situation to close Japan Studios, especially when you understand the western PS Studios can barely launch 1 game or none for this Sony's generation (apart from San Diego Studio, doing the same baseball game every year, for all consoles, including Xbox).

  • -2
JRPGfan JohnVG (on 02 February 2025)

We also know it costs then more to make a Series X, than it does Playstation to make a PS5. Since both go for 499$... Xbox is loseing more selling hardware than Playstation is.. .ei. it needs to do more software/services/controller sales to make up for that.

  • +1
JohnVG JRPGfan (on 02 February 2025)

yeah, and that is based on nothing.

  • -2
Cerebralbore101 VAMatt (on 02 February 2025)

Out of all three console makers Xbox is far behind when it comes to quality software. Otherwise I agree with your statement.

  • 0
G2ThaUNiT (on 01 February 2025)

Changing market, but it’s human inclination to not like change. So many are still holding on to the way old ways even though industry wide change is starting to stare them in the face.

  • +3
Chazore G2ThaUNiT (on 02 February 2025)

It's still odd how some are still clinging to the old idea that the console wars are still going on, despite the ecosystem wars starting a ramp up since 2018.

We're now at 2025 and everyone but Nintendo are releasing their games everywhere else on as many other platforms possible, because reaching into other systems allows for more software sales, which has become the main factor for these ecosystems to grow larger.

Just like with digital gaming, people will be slow to accept that we've simply moved from one format to another.

  • -1
killer7 Chazore (on 02 February 2025)

Its not that the wars are over- they exist as long as at least 2 companies selling hardware that supports physical media. As ms will ditch this next gen, it will be NS2 vs PS6 (if they go with a DD wich i start doubting more and more!).
For a better undertanding in what i am tryin to tell you look at this like a bike race: If there are 3 bikers left in the race and 2 of them decide to stop and play chess but one racer is still on the track he is the one likley to get farer than the other 2 who stopped. Because the competition is still the bike race as what it has started not a chess game. Cometitors who decide to enter a race cannot change the rules all of a sudden only because they see the impossibillity of catching the first one who is miles ahead. And the one who organises te competition just cannot change the rules of it. Short: If MS and Sony want to quit by going multiplat, screwing physical games, leaving only Nintendo who is having exclusives and physical games its their good right and their decission. But calling Nintendo the looser or themselfes the winners just because they cannot keep/ don't want to keep exclusives and physical is very unprofessional and its not working. If i play Tennis against Roger Federer and see that i am chanceless, i just cannot cry and get a lady out of the audience, start dancing Quizomba with her, tellimg Federer he lost because i dance better than him and i was faster... it does not work!

  • -1
Chazore killer7 (on 03 February 2025)

Please stop writing walls of text with no paragraph spacing.

I am not reading that garbled wall.

  • +1
Lukas85 (on 01 February 2025)

They are going to sell more on switch 2 than ps5

  • +3
Giggity_goo (on 01 February 2025)

yet if Sony was the one buying up the studios they would stay exclusive

  • +1
killer7 Giggity_goo (on 02 February 2025)

I highly doubt that. See Horizon, GOW, GT... not even their "Firsts" stay exclusive as you see (PC). What makes you think games from bought studios would. If Sony bought Activision they would have to stay multi as well, believe me.

  • -1
siebensus4 (on 02 February 2025)

Who's the victim? – The ones who bought an Xbox...

  • 0
Azzanation (on 02 February 2025)

For those that know, know. They are cooking. Sony have to make remasters and get the same customers to buy again, meanwhile Xbox avoid the remaster route and release on more platforms to maintain and profit for their developers.

The industry is changing, exclusives are hurting customers and developers. The cost of making video games continue to increase.

Phil is right, make the hardware good to sell to customers, not keeping software off other platforms to sell hardware.

  • 0
JRPGfan Azzanation (on 02 February 2025)

Did xbox not make good hardware this gen? because it costs them more to make the series X than a PS5? but games run almost the same? Do you want a super expensive xbox that beats PS5-6 handily instead? What do you mean "good hardware" ? isn't the series hardware good?

  • 0
Azzanation JRPGfan (on 02 February 2025)

Xbox has always made good hardware, infact 3 out of 4 Gens, they have made the best hardware, but what Phil is trying to say is sell hardware based on offering the customer better features etc. Similar to what Nintendo did with the Switch. It's not always about power.

If Sony and MS focus on creating featured filled powerful hardware instead of spending money in keeping games off other platforms, which actually hurts the customer and the hardware investment.

These companies should be pushing hardware boundaries instead they are so far behind PCs because they don't need to, as they just money hat exclusives to sell hardware instead of hardware selling hardware.

  • 0
Knitemare Azzanation (on 03 February 2025)

Regarding remakes, which I own several (RE4, TloU1, 2, RE1, RE2. RE3. SH2, SotC, and a lot more)
https://media1.tenor.com/m/uYdBJ9zmyK0AAAAd/a-heavy-cost-i-pay-it-gladly.gif

  • 0
jsowers (on 01 February 2025)

Homeboy wants a job

  • 0
Wman1996 (on 01 February 2025)

Nintendo is undeniably Disney-like, I kind of like comparing Sony/PlayStation to HBO/Warner Bros. and Microsoft/Xbox to Netflix.
Microsoft is being agile by focusing on services and getting their software on many devices. Xbox as an aspect of Microsoft Gaming is on an obvious decline.

  • 0
The Fury Wman1996 (on 01 February 2025)

Missed opportunity to compare Sony/Playstation to Sony/Sony Pictures. :P

  • +1
lanmanna Azzanation (on 02 February 2025)

Pretty sure they meant Xbox as the hardware company we've known.

  • +1
Azzanation lanmanna (on 02 February 2025)

Throught they were comparing the entire brand

  • 0
killer7 Wman1996 (on 02 February 2025)

I see Nintendo a lot more like Samsung. The one selling most TVs.

  • 0
LivncA_Dis3 (on 01 February 2025)

Agile? More like losing money after all that acquisition lol

  • -4
Imaginedvl LivncA_Dis3 (on 02 February 2025)

They are not losing money though :) I mean; I agree that they would probably not be doing that if they would market leaders but they are definitely not losing money. And if anything this is probably going generate a lot more money with their new strategy...

  • 0
JohnVG (on 01 February 2025)

He is totally right, and that's why Sony is already doing it.

  • -7