Yoshida: Xbox games on PS5 a ‘win’ for PlayStation owners
Ex-PlayStation exec says becoming “the minority platform” was his nightmare
Former SIE president Shuhei Yoshida has discussed Xbox’s new multiplatform strategy, and described it as “a win” for PlayStation owners.
Speaking during an interview following his exit from PlayStation, the former head of PlayStation first-party was asked about Microsoft‘s decision to bring Xbox titles to PlayStation.
Yoshida said that becoming the “minority platform” was his nightmare, as it would’ve made it difficult to maintain its first-party development.
“I think it’s a win for PlayStation owners, they didn’t have access [to those games] before,” Yoshida told the Sacred Symbols + podcast.
“I explained in one interview that it was always my nightmare when I was a managing first-party, I’m lucky it didn’t happen, that if PlayStation became the minority platform, it would be impossible to maintain the first-party development because the best creators would leave. They are not just creatives, they are business people as well, they want their games to reach the biggest audience as well.
“It’s very natural if a platform is the minority and if I was able to release a game on the minority platform only, it’s unsustainable. That was the nightmare,” he said.
“Looking at the install base of Xbox hardware, it’s kind of natural to understand what they are doing, and it’s pretty straightforward.”
It’s been almost a year since Microsoft first announced plans to bring a wave of games to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, in what appeared to be a significant change of strategy, starting with Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves and Grounded.
Since then, PS5 versions of Indiana Jones, Doom: The Dark Ages, and other games previously exclusive to Microsoft platforms have been announced for PlayStation.
It’s expected that Microsoft will delve further into its back catalog to bring more titles to PlayStation, in what is a largely unprecedented move.
Head of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer recently said there are now “no red lines” for which games it could bring to PS5 next.
