Infinite Lives

Infinite Lives

Share this post

Infinite Lives
Infinite Lives
Exclusive no more: Inside Xbox’s rationale for a new gaming paradigm
Analysis

Exclusive no more: Inside Xbox’s rationale for a new gaming paradigm

Filling the void on the topic of the business of games, Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer argues why the current economics aren't stacking up.

Harrison Polites's avatar
Harrison Polites
Apr 03, 2024
∙ Paid
2

Share this post

Infinite Lives
Infinite Lives
Exclusive no more: Inside Xbox’s rationale for a new gaming paradigm
1
Share

It’s the ultimate ode to excess in gaming: Buying a near $1000 gaming console to play just one game.

But it’s a thought I’ve had about the new Xbox a number of times of the past few years. The latest reoccurrence of it was six months ago with the release of Bethesda’s space epic Starfield. But if you can’t tell from the past few posts, I’m a budget conscious gamer. I couldn’t shake that feeling of waste. 

Well, many gamers like me who don’t own an Xbox got some good news at the start of the year. The company is actively investigating making its ‘exclusive’ games available on other consoles and systems. 

No Xbox, no problems says Microsoft with its Cloud Gaming plans.

To explain: much like Netflix and Disney+ with their own platform-only TV shows, gaming companies either develop their own games for their consoles, commission publishers via distribution deals where they only release on one console at a time.

The logic for this is that gaming consoles are typically sold to consumers at a lo…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Infinite Lives to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Harrison Polites
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share