Tweet
We are starting to see two of the major competitors in the console world, Sony and Microsoft, make large changes to their business plans that could possibly reignite something similar to the 2000s console wars. I specifically state the 2000s console wars because, even then, Nintendo still did their thing and didn't worry much about what Sony and Microsoft were doing, releasing the Gamecube, Wii, Game Boy Advance, and DS systems with all pretty positive results.
Now, Microsoft and Sony appear to be ramping up for potential "wars", again. In the past ~5 years, Microsoft acquired ZeniMax (Dishonored, Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, Doom), and Activision (Diablo, Overwatch, Warcraft, Call of Duty), while Sony acquired Bluepoint (Uncharted, Demon's Souls, Shadow of the Colossus), Haven (Assassin's Creed) and Bungie (Destiny, Marathon).
I left out two franchises from the Microsoft purchases, as I feel like they deserve a paragraph for the two of them:
Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon have been fairly firmly cemented as unofficial mascots of Sony studios. I'm sure many of us remember the Crash Bandicoot commercials from the 2000s (compilation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLdQczq3NMM) and may have associated Crash as a Sony exclusive, but the rights went to Universal Interactive, then Vivendi, and now Activision. Spyro also saw the same process (including the same publisher timeline). These two characters are now part of the Microsoft brand.
In March 2026, Sony announced that they were no longer going to be publishing their games for PC, making the PC community pretty upset, and likely putting Sony in a precarious situation as their console prices are rising. PC players will often wait them out until emulation and piracy is available. In retaliation, Xbox announced the same thing, with a catch: their titles would still be on PC.
And there's still one more potential hiccup for Sony, and that's one of the best-selling franchises in recent history, Call of Duty, is owned under the Microsoft brand, and Microsoft could choose, at any point in time, not to publish those titles for Sony. There could be a world where we never see another Call of Duty title on a Sony console.
Although it's highly unlikely to ever occur, Microsoft owns Mojang studios and thus Minecraft, and have the potential of ending their relationship with the Sony network. Phil Spencer said Sony already didn't want to work with Microsoft to make a PS5-native Minecraft version. This relationship is shaky to say the least, and could continue to crumble.
This is all great news for anybody interested in owning only one of the two consoles, as history has shown again how good competing brands are for the consumes. For example, the competition of the 2000s between Sony and Microsoft created some of the best games many of us got to experience, the same as the 90s did for Nintendo and Sega, and the late-90s/early-2000s for Nintendo and Sony. The only gamers that are likely to suffer through all these potential changes are the folks that have continuously tried to get all the consoles so they can play every exclusive title. It used to be that you could pick up all the consoles, a couple of exclusives for each, but then use your preferred hardware for Call of Duty and The Elder Scrolls. With the cost of consoles skyrocketing, that may no longer be a financially viable option for most people.
Have you been keeping up with gaming news? What do you expect to happen in coming years? What do you HOPE will happen in the coming years?
Now, Microsoft and Sony appear to be ramping up for potential "wars", again. In the past ~5 years, Microsoft acquired ZeniMax (Dishonored, Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, Doom), and Activision (Diablo, Overwatch, Warcraft, Call of Duty), while Sony acquired Bluepoint (Uncharted, Demon's Souls, Shadow of the Colossus), Haven (Assassin's Creed) and Bungie (Destiny, Marathon).
I left out two franchises from the Microsoft purchases, as I feel like they deserve a paragraph for the two of them:
Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon have been fairly firmly cemented as unofficial mascots of Sony studios. I'm sure many of us remember the Crash Bandicoot commercials from the 2000s (compilation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLdQczq3NMM) and may have associated Crash as a Sony exclusive, but the rights went to Universal Interactive, then Vivendi, and now Activision. Spyro also saw the same process (including the same publisher timeline). These two characters are now part of the Microsoft brand.
In March 2026, Sony announced that they were no longer going to be publishing their games for PC, making the PC community pretty upset, and likely putting Sony in a precarious situation as their console prices are rising. PC players will often wait them out until emulation and piracy is available. In retaliation, Xbox announced the same thing, with a catch: their titles would still be on PC.
And there's still one more potential hiccup for Sony, and that's one of the best-selling franchises in recent history, Call of Duty, is owned under the Microsoft brand, and Microsoft could choose, at any point in time, not to publish those titles for Sony. There could be a world where we never see another Call of Duty title on a Sony console.
Although it's highly unlikely to ever occur, Microsoft owns Mojang studios and thus Minecraft, and have the potential of ending their relationship with the Sony network. Phil Spencer said Sony already didn't want to work with Microsoft to make a PS5-native Minecraft version. This relationship is shaky to say the least, and could continue to crumble.
This is all great news for anybody interested in owning only one of the two consoles, as history has shown again how good competing brands are for the consumes. For example, the competition of the 2000s between Sony and Microsoft created some of the best games many of us got to experience, the same as the 90s did for Nintendo and Sega, and the late-90s/early-2000s for Nintendo and Sony. The only gamers that are likely to suffer through all these potential changes are the folks that have continuously tried to get all the consoles so they can play every exclusive title. It used to be that you could pick up all the consoles, a couple of exclusives for each, but then use your preferred hardware for Call of Duty and The Elder Scrolls. With the cost of consoles skyrocketing, that may no longer be a financially viable option for most people.
Have you been keeping up with gaming news? What do you expect to happen in coming years? What do you HOPE will happen in the coming years?
Comment