Circana recently conducted a survey with 2,500 active players in the US aged 13 and over, which revealed that 41% chose a specific platform to play on due to its exclusive games.
The Q1 Future of Video Games consumer survey also revealed that 38% of participants said that having friends/family that also played on the same console ecosystem was also a factor in them saying attached to one specific system. 37% cited it being easier to play with friends and family on a console, while 36% preferred to play video games in a more casual environment as their primary reason for sticking to a console. Finally, 24% cited the fact there’s more options to purchase physical games on a console.
It should be noted that console exclusives as the leading reason saw an eight point decrease compared to last year, while preferring to play in a social environment saw a decrease in four points. “But obviously, this isn’t the whole story,” noted Circana’s Mat Piscatella. A large portion of the popular games are non-exclusives, with Circana’s player engagement tracker from the week ending April 18 revealing the likes of NBA 2K26, Fortnite, Roblox, Call of Duty and other legacy titles taking pole position on PlayStation and Xbox.
Microsoft has obviously pivoted heavily on the exclusive front in the past few years, bringing a number of its first-party titles to other formats including PS5. Sony on the other hand is still releasing major exclusives for the PS5, including Saros, which arrived on Friday and the upcoming Marvel’s Wolverine in September.
[Source – Mat Piscatella on BlueSky]