Summary
Oh no!Microsoftmight -emphasis on might- put someXbox exclusives on PlayStation!Or evenmoreof their games on that dreadedMicrosoft frenemy: Nintendo. The horror! The pain! After years of defendingXbox’shonor like it was the most beautiful maiden in all the kingdom, fans are shocked -and hurt!- that the company they know and love is making a business decision that could result in increased income. Is this the thanks they get for spending six months of last year in an undying war withPlayStationSpider-Man 2fans? Microsoft promised it was an exclusive relationship and now they’re switching ties andrunning to another restaurant for a different date!
It’s heartbreaking. Or, and hear me out on this, maybe it’s time to stop worshiping consoles and the companies that make them? Maybe it’s time to stop considering people who own different consoles to be some sort of weird enemy in a stupid battle between tribes of unhinged nerds. A lot of fans have spent way too much time convincing themselves that a plastic box of mid-level electronics is their best friend. It’s not just a gadget that plays fun computer programs, although that’s all video games are. No! Fans turn them into totems of belief; theirs is the correct console for good people. The other console is for thieves and devils.
I wish I was exaggerating. You know I’m not. Look at social media. People arefuriousover the idea ofStarfieldorIndiana JonesorGears of Wargoing to PlayStation. They feel outright betrayed. To be fair, many of these fans bought an Xbox with the assumption that it meantonlythat console family would get certain games. And there’s always the fear that Microsoft branching out means they’ll dedicate less time and resources to their own console. I understand that. I respect it. We all want the makers of our consoles to, you know, care about those consoles.
But those games Microsoft is rumored to be porting arestillgoing to be on Xbox and Game Pass and almost definitely going to be exclusive for months upon months. Not that this will comfort anyone. SomeSonyfans also started screaming and ripping out their hair when games like Spider-Man andThe Last Of Uswere announced for PC. The fact that these games had already been out for years on PlayStation meant little. You bought a PlayStation to play PlayStation games! Sony was betraying their fans by allowing disgusting outsiders into the ecosystem.All is lost! Abandon ship!Tell my mother I love her! Tell my dad I said hi!
The thing is, and this might be significant, those companies are businesses that exist to make money. Fans already know this. But they need tounderstandit. These companies don’t make consoles for the benefit and growth of mankind. The PlayStation 5 isn’t morally superior to the Xbox Series X because it has slightly better graphics and much better force feedback in their controllers. Microsoft isn’t morally superior to Sony because Game Pass is better than PlayStation Plus. They are companies using business plans to maximize profits for themselves and their shareholders. When a company makes a decision - especially one that doesn’t actually screw anyone over - fans aren’t the ones who get to rubber stamp it. Believing otherwise only leads to disappointment, regret, and being the type of person whose life is controlled by Nintendo Directs.
If you are this type of person,Phil Spencer has a press conference just for you very soon.
True, developers at these companies pour their heart and soul into games. They care about the fans and it makes sense the fans care about them. But to make these games, the developers need money and the ability to recoup expenses. Sometimes the only way to do that is to expand your user base, even if it means the other users are no longer special magical princes with cute tiny crowns. And there is a fear that if Microsoft goes third party, a lot of great creative people at the company are going to lose their jobs. It is certainly possible. The only problem is it’s not like the video game industry is doing gangbusters right now. We’re seeing layoffs after layoffs already. If anything, improving profits this way couldhelppeople.
I do get it. People have a limited budget. If you’re able to have only one, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, it’s going to be hard not to convince yourself and others that you made the right choice. And hearing a rival console’s users are going to get some of your amazing games in addition to their own feels like a defeat. Again, that’s a fair concern. You don’t want to have dropped $500 on a lemon. However, attacking every Microsoft official and every Sony fan over it does not change their calculus.
Yes, it’s good to criticize the people who make our games. It’s good to take an analytical eye to anything we’re dropping money on. But buying a console doesn’t make you part of a team that has to defeat another team at any cost. It just makes you someone who owns the console. Companies don’t care about your Twitter dunk onDays GoneorRedfall. They don’t know you’re vehemently defending them and probably wouldn’t give a damn if they did.
Care about games, yes. Care about developers, yes. Even care about consoles. But we need to stop treating every consumer choice as a moral stance and every purchase as a tribute to prove our loyalty. We won’t! I’m not stupid! We’re gonna keep on keeping on with screaming online. But these are giant corporations making silly bleep bloops. They aren’t here for you and you alone. Worse, they know that your loyalty will probably cause you to support them evenwithdecisions you don’t like. So stop it. Stop worshiping consoles and stop waiting for companies to choose fans over profit.
