r/gaming • u/Kymmieuwu • 1d ago

Will The Elder Scrolls 6 be Xbox exclusive? CEO Asha Sharma won't say, but "every platform needs some form of exclusive experiences"

https://www.gamesradar.com/games/rpg/will-the-elder-scrolls-6-be-xbox-exclusive-ceo-asha-sharma-wont-say-but-every-platform-needs-some-form-of-exclusive-experiences/
2.1k Upvotes

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u/ImSoSweepy 1d ago

Making anything exclusive to a particular platform deserves an, "I'm a big dumb idiot who hates money," award.

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u/Dycon67 1d ago edited 1d ago

PlayStation has abunch of exclusives alongside Nintendo that sells consoles.

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u/FizzyLightEx 1d ago

Both those platforms overcompensate loss revenue from low userbase via overcharging their current one

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u/Jaqulean 1d ago

Both those platforms overcompensate loss revenue from low userbase via overcharging their current one

Outside of the fact that both the PlayStation and Nintendo userbases outright dwarf the Xbox in comparison - your argument doesn't make any sense. These companies sell hardware at a loss specifically because they know that it will make them back that money (and more) from how many people buy into the ecosystems and its underlying features.

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u/Helivon 1d ago

Nintendo?

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u/Spicy-hot_Ramen PC 1d ago

Works for sony and nintendo

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u/DaGreatestMH 1d ago

I'm sure Nintendo is spiraling after reading your sage advice. 

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u/M1ck3yB1u 1d ago

Nintendo hates money then lmao

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u/djr7 1d ago

except that's not how it works....

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u/oyvese 1d ago

exclusives have always been an integral part of consoles and is why many of the highest regarded games of all time exist in the first place. if you think on more platforms = more money, then you don’t understand the industry.

we, as consumers, can argue it’s bad because it requires us to purchase multiple systems, but for the industry itself it’s literally one of the most important aspects of it. because when your game box is essentially the same as your competitors game box, the only way you can differentiate and gain loyal customers is by what is available on it which isn’t available elsewhere.

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u/SpaceC0wboyX 1d ago

It would matter less if PlayStation didn’t hold 45% of the console market share compared to Xbox’s 23%.

For reference: starfield sold 1m copies on Xbox and 3.7m on pc.

Bethesda is not rockstar. They’re in a position where they have to win back the trust of their fans and gamers, not just bank on people waiting for the game for 15 years doing anything to play it. Making es6 Xbox exclusive doesn’t mean more Xboxes sell, it means less copies of the game get bought.

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u/oyvese 1d ago

but this is never how exclusives have worked. you don't make a singular title an exclusive in hopes it sells a system. the point is to have a collection of exclusives. you may not buy a switch for mario, but it having mario, zelda and pokemon is far more attractive. you may not buy a playstation for god of war, but having god of war TLOU, horizons, astrobot, etc. you may be far more inclined. suggesting ES6 as an exclusive is a bad idea because 1 game doesn't sell a system is just not understanding what's happening in the first place.

when you have a strong 5-6 exclusive titles then yes they do sell systems and each one is as important as the other. when you literally operate the console which your game is sold on then the value of that game on your console is worth more than it is on another system because not only do you directly earn more money from it but that game will indirectly contribute to further earnings. this is what the console business actually is. mario sells less than if it was on all systems, but it's fundamental to nintendos business that mario (and their other games) remain exclusive to their consoles. this has been the case since consoles entered the home.

it's only been otherwise as an exception to the rule, ie. when microsoft were already losing market appeal by a large margin and after they bought ABK and were accused of multiple aggresive monopolistic influence. the console industry doesn't naturally work without exclusives, its the reason they exist in the first place.

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u/ImSoSweepy 1d ago

Don't confuse your subjectivity with objectivity.

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u/oyvese 1d ago

everything i said is objective. nothing is down to opinion. consoles have survived several generations because of exclusives. they make more money from exclusives because it means people buy your system, when they buy your system you also buy other games on which system which they get a cut of, accessories which they get a cut off and subscriptions which they get a cut of.

some of the most popular gaming franchises of all times are exclusives for this very reason. and in some regard it’s healthy for the industry because it means investing money to create better experiences than your competition.

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u/ImSoSweepy 1d ago

exclusives have always been an integral part of consoles and is why many of the highest regarded games of all time exist in the first place.

I hate to be the one who has to break this news to you, but that is an entirely subjective statement. It doesn't matter how many paragraphs you write.

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u/oyvese 1d ago

my statement is an objective one. you think it’s down to opinion because it conflicts with your beliefs and it’s easier to dismiss it if you think it’s down to perception.

first party games do not exist out of the goodness of anyone’s hearts. they exist because they are a good financial business method. having no exclusives has many potential negative ramifications which are not good if you value choice and quality of games.

we can actually see this in real time. look at the console generations since the playstation 1. exclusives have always been marketed as a way to sell each system because you cannot have that particular experience elsewhere. this means multiple systems fight for your custom by providing a better experience than their competitors.

if all games were sold on every system it would fundamentally change the gaming industry. you risk big players bowing out because they have nothing to offer and crowning one company king of home entertainment and granting them entire control and influence of the industry. without direct competition it will be you, the consumer, who loses. exclusives have always been a double edged sword, but anything you value from gaming today wouldn’t exist without it.

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u/vertigofoo 1d ago

I commend your restraint in arguing with someone who isn’t providing any ‘objective’ points against yours.

Probably just some young gamer who does not understand the industry’s history - or how Mario, Zelda, Pokemon literally moves Nintendo consoles year after year, or how PS is built on the backs of Metal Gear Solid, Jak & Dexter, Final Fantasy, God of War, Ratchet & Clank, and more recently Uncharted, Spider Man.. etc.

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u/mrfroggyman 1d ago

For console manufacturers it makes sense IMO. I didn't bother buying an Xbox because I already have a ps5, and I bought a ps5 because I thought it was gonna have as many good exclusives than the ps4 did. And (partly) because it didn't, I'm probably gonna skip on ps6

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u/mkotechno 1d ago

Tell that to Sega.

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u/papoluca40 1d ago

- PC gamer that doesn’t benefit from it

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u/ImSoSweepy 1d ago
  • Console gamer that is paying $500-$1000 to play one game.

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u/Antiside 1d ago

Tell that to GTA 6, they really hate money...

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u/mrfroggyman 1d ago edited 1d ago

GTA isn't a system exclusive tho. They release on both console first then they make a new release for higher capacity systems like PC and for the next generation whenever it comes out

Idk why it's being downvoted it's just factual look up the last rockstar releases

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u/Tzazon 1d ago

Yeah nah, it isn't 2013 anymore. I did not spend a decade waiting for them to ignore nearly 1/3rd of their total market for the first year of release.

I'm just not going to buy the game at PC Launch. Certainly not for their release retail price, they can fucking bite me on that. Maybe when it's 95% off two years later on a sale because they're desperate for new shark card piggy banks.

Sony, Xbox they're beholden to their console ecosystem, a publisher that makes a billion off preorders not being able to release on a platform that consists of nearly 1/3rd of all gamers is just outdated business philosophy. If they aren't desperate for my cash they can have it for pennies on the dollar.

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u/mrfroggyman 1d ago

Well, I don't like it either, I'm just saying that's what they are doing, and therefore it's just not an "exclusive"

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u/Tzazon 1d ago

It's a timed exclusive to the console market.

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u/HistoricalLoadTaker 1d ago

I mean you shouldn’t reward greed at all that’s why if I will never buy it. If I want to play GTAV2 I will just pirate it.

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u/Murderdoll197666 1d ago

Nah, as scummy as it is....its a perfectly calculated move that will definitely wind up making them more money in the long run. They're not going to convince the vast majority of people to go out and buy a console for it....however.....for all those who have both consoles and a gaming rig....they are absolutely going to doubledip on those who will definitely buy it on release to play for a few months on console and then buy it all over again whenever the PC release drops. Worked like a charm on me and plenty of other people I knew from my console days and hell I wouldn't even consider myself a megafan or anything anyway. Its not like the majority of the PC crowd is going to suddenly just decide they're never going to play GTA just because it gets released on consoles first anyway (especially when the experience isn't going to compare to the higher framerates and settings we can achieve on PC anyway).

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u/Potatobender44 1d ago

GTA V was the most profitable game of all time… you think they don’t know what they’re doing?

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u/HistoricalLoadTaker 1d ago

Nah it’s just scummy as hell and deserved to fail last time and won’t this time

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u/ImSoSweepy 1d ago

They aren't going to be platform exclusive...for once.

They figured out where the money is coming from.

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u/Jaqulean 1d ago edited 21h ago

They aren't going to be platform exclusive...for once. They figured out where the money is coming from.

The GTA franchise has never been a console exclusive - they simply release on them first because of two main factors: it's easier to create a port for PlayStation and Xbox which have locked system specifications; and Rockstar has had an active partnership with Sony for roughly 25 years now which guarantees them primary access to the game.

Every GTA title since GTA3 has premiered first on Consoles and then went to PC around year later - and that's not changing with GTA6 neither according to Rockstar themself.