The head of Microsoft’s Xbox division has claimed the reason Sony has been able to scoop up third-party exclusives for the PlayStation 4 is down to cold-hard cash, as opposed to market share.
"So, they don’t ‘gobble’ the deals up," Phil Spencer told GameSpot. "They buy them. You know, I read the same things you do, and I know some people think it’s somehow less expensive to sign third-party exclusives if you have a bigger market-share. I can tell you, it has nothing to do with market share.
"When you go in to do a deal, with a third party, that third party has its own view of the global market and the value of it. And they should, they should think about their assets and how valuable they are, just like anyone would when they are selling their goods."
Spencer added that Microsoft is focused on producing first-party content for the Xbox One, which he says is creatively more rewarding than ‘signing a deal.’ Nonetheless, he made it clear he’s still a fan of Sony’s own first-party output.
"So we’re making a conscious decision to focus on our first-party games," said the executive. "It doesn’t make it harder or easier, it’s just a decision. I do think that building up first-party exclusives is creatively more difficult than signing a deal, just by the nature of what it is."
"I’ll point out too that Sony has some great first-party franchises. I’m a big fan of Uncharted, I thought that looked great at E3. I really admire the team at Naughty Dog, the team at Polyphony," he said.
Sony has shipped over 25 million PS4s worldwide since its launch in November 2013, with the console tracking ahead of PS2 in the U.K. Microsoft has yet to issue any concrete sales data, although said last October that it had shipped 10 million Xbox One units.