Recent charts showcasing the PlayStation store’s top sales in May 2024 are making the rounds. It looks like, as of now, there’s a certain type of game that PS4 and PS5 users are into—Xbox exclusives.
That’s right, most of the chart is occupied by former exclusives. If the head of the gaming brand, Phil Spencer is taking a look at this data right, it seems we can expect more exclusives to head on over to Sony’s console in the future.
Microsoft Is Making Bank at the PlayStation Store
A recent post on X/Twitter has shed some light on the buying trends of PS4 and PS5 users in the past month.
According to the chart, the top five PS4 purchases in the US/Canada are Minecraft, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Fallout 4, Red Dead Redemption 2, and A Way Out. The first three come under Microsoft’s umbrella. The list is similar for EU users, with The Forest replacing Call of Duty.
On the PS5 chart, the trend is a lot more clear. We have Sea of Thieves dominating at the topmost spot for both US/Canada and EU, and a couple of other Microsoft games and PS5 exclusives below.
PlayStation store top downloads for the month of May 2024👀 pic.twitter.com/UZklYAZ2Ex
— Post Up (@PostUp_SOG) June 13, 2024
The reception for the former exclusive action-adventure pirate co-op is very telling of how excited PS5 users are to try out games that were previously not accessible to them.
Let’s not forget the controversy of the PS5 version outperforming the original release by a mile, with some Xbox users claiming they felt like beta testers for it.
No doubt, the reception would be the same, if not bigger, for highly anticipated IPs like Gears of War, Halo, and Fable. The demand is certainly there, and all Spencer has to do is say the word to make it happen.
He’s sitting on free money to a certain extent, but widening the audience for these IPs might also spell disaster for his console.
It’s Just the Start of a New Era of Exclusives
We all heard Spencer when he said that the era of exclusives is ending, and a lot of the company’s business decisions as of late seem to further the same agenda.
Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves are possibly the start of a lot more Microsoft exclusives making it to Sony’s consoles. While Sony has been releasing its exclusives on PC, it’s yet to return Microsoft’s favor.
Whole slate coming to PlayStation
— Kieran. (@KTiereny) June 13, 2024
As one user puts it, the “whole slate” is eventually leaving Microsoft’s consoles.
Thank you PlayStation nation for funding my Gamepass games y’all the real MVP’s pic.twitter.com/aPxRfU5Idm
— MajiiinKing (@XxMajin) June 13, 2024
Not everyone thinks this is a plus for PS4 and PS5 users, however, claiming that Sony fans buying Microsoft exclusives helps fund their Game Pass.
Ultimately, the sales data just became another reason to fuel the console wars. On the flip side though, it gives us insight into current buying trends.
What could Spencer be concocting next after this kind of sales performance? What exclusive could come to the PS5 next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
