Xbox will play 'different game' to rivals through 2025 and beyond says expert

Xbox is playing a "different game" to its competitors according to a gaming expert who says that trend will continue through 2025 and beyond.

Microsoft's gaming division has been prioritising delivering its players the best subscription service it can through its Game Pass, playable on a number of different platforms, and less on hardware or specific game sales, unlike rivals PlayStation and Nintendo.

While forecasts show Xbox could be at risk of trailing a distant third in terms of console popularity behind the PS5 and Switch 2 this year, George Osborn said Xbox may be "pretty relaxed about that".

Osborn is the creator of Video Games Industry Memoand the managing director of Half-Space Consulting with 15 years' experience in the industry, having also studied at the University of Cambridge.

Speaking to indy100, he said: "My main prediction with what's going to happen with Xbox is that it's going to continue that transition towards being more of a content platform rather than a console device.

"More broadly, forecasts are the Switch 2 would push the PlayStation or Xbox into a distant third place in terms of sales, I think for Xbox they're pretty relaxed about that.

"Even over the tail end of last year and this year, they've been running their 'This Is an Xbox' campaign to talk about smartphones being an Xbox, PCs being an Xbox, games consoles, Fire TV sticks etc.

"Microsoft is playing a different game [to its competitors] and it's going to continue playing that game across this year.

"They'll be saying to consumers it's less about the device you buy and more about getting access to Game Pass and they'll continue to double down on that across 2025."

Xbox has been priorisiting its Game Pass subscription service over hardware and game sales / Getty Images

A number of massive upcoming Xbox games, such as Gears of War: E-Day, Doom: The Dark Ages and Fable, do not have specific release windows and all that's known so far is they will release at some point this year as it stands.

Osborn says this is because of Xbox's strategy prioritising Game Pass.

"In terms of vague release dates for Xbox titles, I think we've seen their strategy to some extent through Avowed," he said.

"It's releasing in February but had been slated for last Autumn and by all accounts, it was finished and ready to go.

"But Dragon Age: The Veilguard was also put into that window I think because Xbox and Microsoft have a partnership with EA and also because Xbox probably thought they already had the major launch for that quarter on Game Pass which was Call of Duty.

"I think they were able to shift it back because they're were looking at the space they could find for it and by having this shifting approach, they can take more time to think about when the right moment to release is.

"Because they're relying on subscription incomes, there's less pressure for it to launch on a specific date to recoup cash because they can say we can launch this when it's ready and players will be playing attention to it.

"I think overall, the way Xbox is approaching the release schedule shows that kind of direction."

Osborn's Video Games Industry Memo is sent out every Thursday and he's writing his debut non-fiction book called Power Play, a look at how video games are changing the world.

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