Xbox-exclusive Sea of Thieves is setting sail towards PlayStation waters. In a historic event, Microsoft has announced that four original games will be making their way to rival platforms, the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
Rare moments like this weaken the invisible barrier between platforms and bring into question the future of the industry.
One would naturally assume that Sea of Thieves would be a port that is designed to easily play on rival platforms, however, that’s not the case for Sea of Thieves. It will require PS5 users to either create a Microsoft account, or link their existing accounts, to enable friend requests with cross-platform.
Sea of Thieves Could Be One of Many Xbox Games to Jump Ship to Other Platforms
While reading the terms and agreements of games is commonly overlooked by players, Sea of Thieves will at the very least require them to sign in with a Microsoft account. Perhaps it is a notion of the company to make their presence felt by asserting their platform on a rival, or it is just the easiest way for them operate.
The word exclusive no longer has any bearing if first party titles are available on every platform, and it could seriously impact the gaming industry for years to come. Consider PlayStation, which decided to port its well-received exclusives like God of War, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, both Marvel’s Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Morales, and the Horizon games to PC.
Aside from Xbox sharing their exclusives, the possibility of everyone allowing cross platform launches of first party titles could have negative and positive outcomes.
The End of the Console Wars: Xbox and PlayStation Waving the White Flag
The consequences of opening a bridge to other platforms is that the rivals will be swarmed with games. Players will be overwhelmed, and when the time comes to select one console over the other, the logical choice will be picking up the more powerful machine, rendering the other as irrelevant.
Jumping to PC is another story entirely. It is a cocoon of safety for all platforms, minus homebrewing or emulating Nintendo titles, both PlayStation and Xbox have skin in the game.
The benefits, on the other hand, bringing exclusives to other platforms will certainly end the years of toxic arguments. Microsoft is basically waving an olive branch by sharing their games to those who want to experience them, but don’t have the Xbox to do so. It’s the same deal with Sony’s PC venture, they know the value of their games and want to introduce these titles to a larger audience.
Microsoft’s requirement to use an account for Sea of Thieves could be gratuitious, but at least other platforms can enjoy the game for what it is.
What are your thoughts about this historic event in gaming history? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
