The console wars have raged for decades, and now one of the main factions is leading off to fight a new battle, and it involves Google and Amazon. Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has said in an interview with Protocol about how the new worry is not against what Nintendo or Sony are doing; instead, it is the two tech giants as the next big competitors.
“I don’t want to be in a fight over format wars with [Nintendo and Sony] while Amazon and Google are focusing on how to get gaming to 7 billion people around the world. Ultimately, that’s the goal.”
Google has Stadia, and then Amazon has its own studio along with other entities like Twitch. Spencer is right to say that the world can gain better access through those companies, making it an essential goal for Microsoft moving forward to keep up with the new rivals in the industry. Xbox has had a focus on its service, including its movement towards cross-platform, Xbox Games Pass, and Project xCloud. The collaboration of Sony and Microsoft with xCloud does push this technology into spaces that could compete fairly against the new challengers.
“As a technology company, you simply have to be in games,” Spencer told Protocol.
More and more companies that never touched the realm of gaming have leaned into it, not just Google and Amazon. Facebook owns Oculus Rift and has Facebook Gaming, so the world we once knew of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft splitting fans into unnecessary fights online will undoubtedly get worse as more loyalties begin.
