The thought of platform exclusivity as a promoting level has been feeling the warmth of the limelight these days, and Helldivers 2 is slowly changing into the mascot of the discourse. A former PlayStation boss has chipped in on the dialogue, saying the success of Helldivers 2 reveals exclusivity is an “Achilles’ heel.”

Former president and CEO of Sony Interactive Leisure America Shawn Layden had a bit to say on console exclusivity throughout an interview final week. Talking with GamesBeat, Layden coated scorching trade matters together with AI, blockchain, and, after all, the present discord that’s platform exclusivity.

“When your prices for a sport exceed $200 million, exclusivity is your Achilles’ heel,” Layden mentioned. “It reduces your addressable market. Significantly while you’re on the planet of dwell service gaming or free-to-play.”

Helldivers 2 is proof that platform exclusivity is an ‘Achilles’ heel’

Final month, Helldivers 2 launched on the PlayStation 5 and PC on the similar time. It was met with unprecedented success, knocking out servers as its developer scrambled to assist the tons of of hundreds of gamers lining as much as smash bugs and bots with buds. It was PlayStation Studios’ first simultaneous launch and swiftly grew to become its greatest sport ever on Steam.

These numbers didn’t go by Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer unnoticed. In an interview for Recreation File in February, Spencer praised Helldivers 2 but additionally lamented its absence on Xbox.

“I’ll say, once I have a look at a sport like Helldivers 2 — and it’s an ideal sport, kudos to the workforce delivery on PC and PlayStation — I’m not precisely certain who it helps within the trade by not being on Xbox,” Spencer mentioned. “Should you attempt to twist your self to say, like, someway that benefited any individual someplace.”

For Spencer, exclusivity for in style video games in the end does extra hurt than good. And Layden appears to agree.

“You must enhance your odds by cracking the funnel open,” Layden advised GamesBeat. “Helldivers 2 has proven that for PlayStation, popping out on PC on the similar time. Once more, you get that funnel wider. You get extra folks in.”

Can exclusivity final?

Now, I’m sufficiently old to recall the “console wars” of the ’90s. Console exclusivity made extra sense, because the machines by both Sega or Nintendo (sorry, Atari followers) have been clearly totally different. The strains have been drawn between Mario and Sonic; crisp visuals and blast processing.

However these days the main consoles are related in energy and share the identical video games that should preserve parity. Locking video games to 1 platform or one other looks like a solution to preserve cash off the desk, and that’s not useful for an trade going through mass layoffs and financial uncertainty.

Maybe Helldivers 2 will lead the cost in opposition to exclusivity, however it depends upon whether or not all sides lastly shed the many years of established order and comply with work collectively. That’s a tall order and never one thing that’ll probably occur too quickly. Time will inform if we’re witnessing the start of the tip.