At Gamescom this year, Microsoft fired a shot in the console war with the announcement that Rise of the Tomb Raider will be a timed Xbox exclusive. Last week, Sony fired back with its own third-party deal.
We reported (and then were able to confirm) that Street Fighter V will be exclusive to PlayStation 4 and PC. We now know that this deal isn’t a timed one. If you want to play Street Fighter V, you won’t be able to do it on Xbox One.
In response, head of Xbox Phil Spencer took to Twitter to address fan concerns.
Spencer did take the opportunity to point to Microsoft exclusive Killer Instinct, stating his view on first-party investments.
For more on 2015’s upcoming titles, check out our regularly updated release schedule.
[Source: Phil Spencer on Twitter (1), (2), (3) via MCV]
Our Take
Third-party exclusives are a macro solution to the competition problem. Sony and Microsoft must differentiate, and software is the way to do that. Unfortunately, the third-party route is causing frustration among gamers at the micro level (as we saw in response to both the Tomb Raider and Street Fighter announcements).
Spencer isn’t wrong, though. This is business, and it seems gamers are going to need to get used to these arrangements, just like in the 8- and 16-bit days.