Xbox games heading to PS5 is good for players but bad for the industry at large

Xbox games are reportedly headed to rival platform PlayStation, according to recent leaks courtesy of XboxEra. It's only a rumor, and Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios have not confirmed anything on their end yet, but if true, it will mark a monumental shift not only for the Xbox ecosystem side of things but also for PlayStation.

Right now, the Xbox and PlayStation are the only console platforms that regularly go head-to-head when it comes to console specs, exclusive games, and fanbases. While Nintendo admittedly has the biggest market share in home consoles, it's not directly competing with the other two giants.

Xbox's move to bring its entire lineup of games, including first-party exclusives like Starfield, to the PS5 and the PlayStation ecosystem is going to both positively and negatively impact the current gaming landscape. While the unification of platforms is good for players, it isn't so great for the industry at large.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.

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Xbox games coming to PS5 is both a good as well as a bad thing for the current gaming landscape

Having Xbox games come to other platforms like PlayStation and Nintendo is ultimately in favor of players. While console exclusivity has its place in gaming, nothing beats the idea of making games more accessible to more players, even if it means having to part ways with exclusive games on your favorite console platforms.

Over the last few years, both Xbox and PlayStation have slowly adopted the idea of making games accessible to a wide spectrum of players by making their exclusive lineup of games also available to PC players. Admittedly, Microsoft did a better job at making the Xbox games accessible on day one on both PC and Xbox One/ Xbox Series X|S.

However, PlayStation is slowly catching up, making games like the upcoming Helldivers 2 a simultaneous release on both PS5 and PC. Even the flagship PS5 games like the excellent sci-fi roguelike Returnal as well as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart also made a jump to PC within roughly a year of console exclusivity.

Unfortunately, while I do admire the idea of having all games under the sun, accessible to all players, and on as many platforms as possible, doing so comes at the detriment of the idea of owning a console in the first place. It is exactly why Nintendo Switch has been selling so well despite being an incredibly underpowered console.

Another big issue that arises from Xbox games going multi-platform is the monopoly of PlayStation on the mainline console market. Xbox's dominance of the seventh console generation made the PS4 the success it was. While PS5 started quite slow, the only reason it has the upper hand over the Xbox Series X|S is its exclusive lineup of games.

However, despite having a stronger lineup of games, the PS5 exclusive library is nowhere near as impressive and diverse as the games we got to see during the early days of the PS4 generation. Instead, most of PlayStation's current-gen lineup is mostly filled with remakes, remasters, and sequels, instead of new intellectual properties (IPs).

If Microsoft gives up in the console race by making Xbox games available on all platforms, PlayStation will have no one to compete against. This will eventually lead to stagnation in the quality of games they produce, and that's not going to be a good thing in the long run for players and the gaming industry as a whole.