Sony is buying third-party exclusives for PS4, says Xbox boss

Sony is buying third-party exclusives for PS4, says Xbox boss
James Orry Updated on by

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Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said that market share has nothing to do with the third-party exclusive we are seeing on PS4, it’s all about the money.

Speaking to GameSpot about third-party exclusives on PS4, Spencer said: “So, they don’t “gobble” the deals up. They buy them. You know, I read the same things you do, and I know some people think it’s somehow less expensive to sign third-party exclusives if you have a bigger market-share. I can tell you, it has nothing to do with market share.”

He added: “When you go in to do a deal, with a third party, that third party has its own view of the global market and the value of it. And they should, they should think about their assets and how valuable they are, just like anyone would when they are selling their goods.”

For Spencer the focus is on building a must-have library of exclusive first-party titles for the Xbox One.

“So we’re making a conscious decision to focus on our first-party games,” he explained. “It doesn’t make it harder or easier, it’s just a decision. I do think that building up first-party exclusives is creatively more difficult than signing a deal, just by the nature of what it is.”

That might sound like a bit of dig at Sony, but Spencer assures that he’s a big fan of some of Sony’s first-party teams.

“I’ll point out too that Sony has some great first-party franchises. I’m a big fan of Uncharted, I thought that looked great at E3. I really admire the team at Naughty Dog, the team at Polyphony,” he said.

So, is Microsoft doing the right thing by focussing on first-party titles, or should it be writing more cheques to secure third-party exclusives?

Source: GameSpot