Microsoft has recently dropped a bomb of an announcement for its Xbox gaming platform; they’re effectively removing any Xbox exclusivity. In turn, this has made some Xbox owners and gamers upset or even angry because this is one of the sole reasons for purchasing their gaming console. To that, a former Blizzard and Microsoft veteran has chimed in with callous advice, telling Xbox gamers to just live it with.
The former Blizzard and Microsoft vet in question is none other than Mike Ybarra. Ybarra has recently taken to Twitter/X and given his two cents to anyone still fussing over Microsoft’s decision for Xbox. Basically, Ybarra is saying that Xbox gamers’ anger will not change anything and that they should just stick to playing games on whatever platform they like.
Mike Ybarra didn’t touch up on one of the reasons why some of the Xbox owners are mad, however, which is likely buyer’s remorse because they’re now stuck with a console that they chose under an exclusivity deal. Turns out they could’ve just bought a PS5 since Xbox gamers are now coming to PlayStation as well– and they’d still get PlayStation exclusives.
Speaking of which, despite Xbox and Microsoft’s act of sharing their games with PlayStation and Nintendo, the latter two platforms won’t be doing the same (rumors notwithstanding). There will still be PlayStation exclusives and Nintendo exclusives, leaving Xbox as the least appealing gaming platform between the three.
Moreover, the games that you bought on Xbox platforms will no longer be available in the event that Microsoft eventually decides to shut down Xbox, which is now a possibility since the console was already consistently losing to PlayStation, to begin with.
The Nail on the Coffin for Xbox is a Trophy for PlayStation
No matter how you look at it, Xbox sharing its exclusives is a major win for PlayStation. PlayStation already holds the majority of the market share for console gamers (excluding the handheld market), and Xbox losing its exclusivity might make its market share dwindle further as PlayStation subsumes its players.
Mike Ybarra, however, was not exactly being harsh to Xbox gamers but rather telling them to face the inevitable reality for Xbox. The former Blizzard head even suggested that Microsoft and Xbox might eventually stop dipping their hands in the console hardware market and shift to just publishing games and focusing on Game Pass.
On a final note, Ybarra also yearned for some kind of centralized and universal gaming social platform that would connect gamers from Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo. Too bad that might never happen, given how fiercely they treat the competition, especially PlayStation and Nintendo.
