Is video game exclusivity finally on its way out?

Since the rise of popular home consoles like the Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo, video game exclusivity has been a staple for the industry. Each top dog has exclusive titles that can be considered part of their identity. But recently, many companies have been losing their leash on exclusives and releasing them on other platforms. This raises the question of whether the days of video game exclusivity are numbered.

Many experts and analysts have claimed that in the near future, the industry will see fewer and fewer exclusive titles being pushed into the market. Even the current Xbox CEO, Phil Spencer, has explicitly stated that in the upcoming decade, exclusivity in gaming may not be a thing anymore.

Disclaimer: This article is subjective and is solely based on the writer's opinions.

---

Is Video Game exclusivity going extinct?

Several factors determine a developer's decision about their game’s platform exclusivity. These include target audience, game genre, platform-specific features, and development cost. In some cases, even the game engines, such as Unity, Unreal Engine, and Godot, influence the choice of platform on which the game will be released.

Xbox may be the first to abandon video game exclusivity (Image via Xbox)

After determining all these factors, it seems that video game exclusivity won’t be so easily eradicated. But on the other hand, big names have already started making moves that are surprisingly well paid off. The most recent success story is Sony’s Helldivers II, which was released on both PS5 and PC. Some rumors even state that Starfield may also move to PS5.

On February 21, 2024, Xbox announced the move of four exclusives to other consoles: Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded. During a podcast on the official Xbox YouTube channel released on February 16, 2024, the current CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer, stated:

“I do have a fundamental belief that over the next five or ten years, exclusive games, games that are exclusive to one piece of hardware, are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the game industry.”

Microsoft is even on its way to releasing Call of Duty on Nintendo systems, as agreed upon last year with its “10-year contract.” This deal also means that we may see many other Xbox exclusives on Nintendo consoles in the near future.

Ultimately, it's impossible to definitively say if we'll play a Zelda title on a Playstation console with 4K graphics and updated visuals. However, with all the plans and contracts in motion, it can be said that in the upcoming years, video exclusivity may not be extinct completely. Still, it will most definitely evolve into something new.