Xbox Stuck in Identity Crisis
Shawn Layden, former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment America, recently shared his thoughts on Xbox's current situation. According to him, Microsoft has been confusing with its ever-changing strategy, which hasn't helped it catch up with PlayStation's massive lead.
Layden notes that Xbox has flip-flopped between being a publisher for all platforms and wanting to be an exclusive platform. He believes a platform needs exclusives to have meaning, but as the biggest publisher in the world, they almost need to be on every platform due to the business model.
The Game Pass issue is another point of contention, with Layden saying that if you're going to offer big titles as part of a subscription service on day one, it devalues those titles. He notes that 'the math doesn't' work with trying to be everything at once and thinks Xbox has gotten itself into a pickle.
Layden also mentions new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma's efforts to right the ship, but admits he doesn't know what that looks like.