Content is king reigns again as Microsoft uses this strategy to drive sales of its Xbox One platform. The content is Titanfall, a shooter game played socially. And because it is exclusive, it requires both XBox and membership in Xbox Live. With all the hype behind the release, Microsoft should see a bump in sales. But is it enough to overtake Sony and its Playstation 4 system.
Certainly XBox needs this kind of game to drive sales but what it a calculated move to wait almost half a year from the launch of its new platform to release it. Would it have helped XBox to deliver this game with the initial launch? I suspect the initial strategy may have been to do just that but that the game simply wasn't ready in time to launch it earlier. But if it was, why did they wait?
Beside launching a more expensive gaming system then the PS4 and not initially allowing older games to play on this new device, this may have simply been a third strike in missed opportunities. Clearly the XBox One is not a bad device, it just is not as popular to date as its rival. Hopefully, the release of Titanfall will be the exclusive content that brings sales figures closer to Playstation.
As for gamers like my son who chose the PS4, they are clearly disappointed that the game is exclusive to the other gaming system. Will they switch? Will they hope that PS4 has its compelling exclusive content to remind them of the value of their system? Or will they use an old XBox 360 platform to play the game when it is finally released in that version?
This millennial audience may have a hard time waiting for the next big thing. They have been raised on immediate consumption and the thought that a future game is on the horizon may be hard to wait for. How many PS4 gamers also buy the XBox One; you never know.
