The trend was evident until just a few months ago. More and more games were being released on multiple platforms; Sony bet on Lego Horizon Adventures for the Switch and Helldivers II for Xbox, while Microsoft was expanding the concept even further. But... then the reports started coming in. Sony seemed to be scaling back its multi-platform efforts, and not even the PC was safe.
The real surprise, however, came a week ago, when Microsoft was also reported to be re-evaluating its approach to exclusive games in order to instead try to strengthen the Xbox.
We don't know exactly what led to these sudden shifts, but it's reasonable to assume the companies have analysed vast amounts of data, read the occasional study on the matter, and observed how Nintendo's exclusive titles have propelled Switch 2 sales at breakneck speed, and concluded that exclusives are necessary. Now, The Game Business founder Chris Dring is delivering a message that probably won't surprise a single one of you, based on a new Circana consumer survey among American gamers.
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It turns out that the main reason people choose one console over another is exclusive games. 41 percent cited this as the primary reason, while 38 percent said it was because their friends and/or family use that particular platform.
The fact that compelling content unavailable anywhere else draws customers in shouldn't really come as a total shock to anyone, and surely many of you reading this can relate.