In the bygone days of gaming (think the era of Nintendo versus Sega battles), video game exclusivity was viewed as a divisive strategy for selling consoles. Fast forward to today, and it's as though we've slipped into an alternate reality. From all appearances, the state of gaming has changed, with Phil Spencer, the Xbox chief, leading the charge into unfamiliar territory.
During a chat with Polygon, Spencer shared insights into Xbox's strategic "brand pivot," a move aimed squarely at bringing down the old walls of exclusivity in an attempt to, hopefully, attract broader and newer demographics to the Xbox ecosystem.
"This notion that Xbox can only be this one device that plugs into a television isn't something we see in the Gen Z research. Because nothing else is like that for them. Some of them will have an iPhone, some will have an Android, but all the games and everything is the same," Spencer stated.
Clearly, the concept of exclusivity is becoming archaic for today's gamers, who have repeatedly expressed their loathing for any publisher that limits access. That said, the road ahead for Xbox may not be as easy as Spencer suggests. The so-called "pivot" to lure in the legions of younger gamers might work against Xbox and end up nudging its target audience towards rival consoles.
