Phil Spencer 'Gets' Why Helldivers 2 Isn't On Xbox, But Still Thinks It's Silly

Is that a FPS multiplayer game?

Live service do need to be on as many platforms as possible. And I think many on Xbox would have enjoyed it.

Who's it helping? Uhmm, Sony.

Speaking of Helldivers, can anybody recommend anything close in terms of gameplay that is on Xbox?

I guess it’s about business.
If Sony sell more PS5 for keeping helldivers 2 a console exclusive and make more money that way, than selling the game on series consoles at about 27million in total, not sure how many would buy it, then it makes sense to keep it a PS5 consoles exclusive.

The most important thing it does for Sony, it’s keeps people buying into there Eco System with their friends and the digital library eco system.
All those things Phil said that xbox lost during the Xbox one era and why Phil said they can’t out console Sony and Nintendo.

I also think it should be on xbox I think all mp games should be multiplatform, but come on Phil, who is it helping , well Sony for a start , who funded and published the game , they'll aquire arrowhead next year no doubt.

It looks like a fun game, I’ve not bought it because it looks like it’ll get boring fast. I know what Phil is saying but I also understand why it’s not in Xbox, because good exclusives can shift hardware and it’s been working for Sony for decades.

Outriders is probably the closest similarity, @xanderten50. Helldivers even has some of the same developers on it...

There is a very simple reason why Sony are not putting Helldivers on the Xbox, and it is because doing so will help Xbox, and they are not in the business of doing that. It is also why I think porting any Xbox exclusive to the PlayStation is a mistake. Doing so benefits Sony. Yes, it will bring an influx of cash for Microsoft, but it is at a cost to the Xbox in terms of overall exclusives in their library of games.

I totally understand the need for larger player numbers in Live Service games, and so understand the reasoning for putting it on the PlayStation. However, you have to wonder whether doing so only benefits Sony in the long run. The fewer exclusives a console has, the fewer reasons there are to own it. The more games you can play on a console, the more reason to own it. Sony understand this. It would appear that Microsoft do not...

Helldivers 2 isn’t on Xbox for the same reason that Forza Motorsport and Halo Inifnite are Xbox only.

Come on Phil, you’re only helping Sony by making silly statements like this.

Is this man for real here?

Who benefits from him taking away multiplatform publishers and making them exclusive? They port games that are years old and try to play the victim card because of a game not even a week old?

Spencer is pathetic.

It helps Sony, Phil. They still recognize the importance of exclusives to keep their platform the place the majority want to play.

@Lup No. It is a third person, coop, shooter.

Weird for me too because the first one was top down.

Says the dude who was about to make cod exclusive.

Uh if Helldivers dev, like Housemaque's Returnal or their top down shooters of the PS3/PSP/VIta/PS4 era are close with Sony why wouldn't they be more on PS5/PC. Helldivers 1 was on PS3/Vita/PS4/PC.

Insomniac were always close with Sony yet did Fuse/Sunset Overdrive/Song of the Deep on 360 and Xbox One. Not all studios jump ship if a business relationship works for them.

Can studios not be business close with one another?

Maybe Sony funded it. Xbox did it's fair share of that.

@xanderten50 gears , it has that same vibe

@Fiendish-Beaver hmm it's kinda not

@SuntannedDuck2 unfortunately sunset was a massive failure , which was a shame because it was a good game

@ScoTTieDLighT can't see it , if these 4 games sell you will see more of the same.

@Fiendish-Beaver he's not even mentioned which 4 games are coming , he knows what they are but won't mention them, which is a bit weird.

@Fiendish-Beaver Software sales earn a bigger profit than hardware sales.

While it doesn't exactly push Xbox consoles if there is no incentive to get one over the leading platform, it does put money into Xbox Game Studios and makes that division profitable for Microsoft and therefore keeps the division alive and the developers funded.

Ultimately, that's what matters in the long run.

@Sifi He also said the reason why, that he respects the decision of the studios to announce the news themselves.

@Sifi Sony owns the helldivers IP so while the studio who makes may not be first party the intellectual property absolutely is. Same as bloodborne and death stranding

@Doublecell That's not a fair comparison. Exclusivity would either kill COD or move massive amounts of Xboxes. Hardly anyone is buying a PS5 to play Helldivers 2. The whole reason console exclusives exist is to drive people towards their console ecosystem. I think what Phil is trying to say is that the few extra consoles that Helldivers might be able to sell are not going to outweigh the lost sales of the (likely more profitable) software by keeping it exclusive. It's a lose for Sony, a lose for Xbox, and a lose for players, considering the player base is going to be smaller. Nobody benefits.

Who it helps?

the same reason why Indiana Jones wont be released on PS5.

And I don't get how it helps the industry for Microsoft to buy up once multiplatform studios to then make their games exclusives. I love my Xbox but man is Phil a terrible spokesperson.

@Thaliard Arrowhead and Sony beg to differ

"I’m not exactly sure who it helps in the industry by not being on Xbox."

"But I get it....we do the same thing."

I really don't get it for something like this that isn't going to move a single console.

That said, how can he talk?

@Sifi wait Helldivers isn’t by a first party dev? Okay knowing that does change my perspective on this situation. Now I see Phil’s point.

@xanderten50 if you have pc then starship troopers extermination. Still in beta but way better + its fps not 3rd person. Basically helldivers is a copy of starship troopers.

Bring Starship Troopers Extermination on XBOX! Way better game even tho its still beta version!

@Cakefish

Sony owned IP and entirely funded & published by them.

Is Sony supposed to just not operate as a business at all according to Spencer and his sheep? They're apparently evil for doing timed deals (that everyone does) but now they're evil for even doing funded projects?

Exclusive games push console sales @GamingFan4Lyf, it is why the PlayStation has been so successful, and is why Sony ardently refuse to put any of their exclusives on the Xbox. Owning an Xbox and subscribing to the Game Pass pretty much go hand in hand. So, take away the exclusives, put them on the rival console, and you may as well buy the rival console and subscribe to their service instead. Thus, with fewer Xbox consoles being sold, fewer people will be subscribed to the Game Pass and it will rapidly become unsustainable.

Whilst Microsoft have seemingly committed to making a next generation console, I honestly believe it will be the last. I absolutely agree with you that software sales are where the money is to be made, and I think that the only way that Microsoft will make the kind of money they want will be to cede the console market to Sony. Pay that 30% of game sales to Sony, and reap the profits that will be made from both PC and PlayStation, which I guess they calculate will be more than they will get from being in the console market.

Ultimately, with the demise of the Xbox console, Sony will allow a first-party only Xbox Game Pass (akin to EA or Ubisoft's services) on to their platform, but that Game Pass will not feature day one releases.

I honestly believe that is where Microsoft and the Xbox is heading...

Not only was it a strange thing to do, @Shushibda, but there seems to be an awful lot of sources that already know which games they are, and even from what Spencer did say, the games being mentioned would fit perfectly...

@Fiendish-Beaver I think sea of thieves and hi fi rush will be the top sellers , nobody is gonna buy the other two

@Fiendish-Beaver It probably is where Microsoft is heading.

Honestly, so what? You will still get to play Microsoft games if you like them. In fact, you'll get the best of both worlds by having both the Xbox games you love and Sony's first-party and third-party exclusive output.

Plus, if you are a multi-console gamer like myself, it's one less box to buy.

The only thing I don't want is an unchecked Sony. While I enjoyed the games Sony manages to make/secure, I don't like business aspect of it at all. Sony has zero issue bending its customers over a barrel to make a buck.

Not saying Microsoft doesn't do things for the sake of making money, but at least making that money comes with some kind of consumer-friendly benefit. Sony will just charge more and say "current market climate".

Your last point is precisely why Microsoft leaving the console business is a terrible thing for us gamers, @GamingFan4Lyf. Yes, I own all 4 systems, and yes, I will need to buy one fewer. However, Sony being the only 'high-end' console manufacturer is a really bad situation to be in. First off, they care nothing for us, only for our wallets. This will mean higher priced consoles. No selling them at a loss or at fine margins, you want a PS7, you will make Sony a decent profit in the process.

Games will rocket in price too. Gamers were exceptionally unhappy when prices were increased to £/$70, but that was just a rise of £/$10. Obviously each generation has seen prices rise by £/$10, but once Xbox is no longer a factor, in terms of consoles, Sony will be in such a dominate position that they can dictate the prices of games too, so forget prices increasing by £/$10 per generation, it will be much more than that.

And then there is the issues of subscriptions, there will be more choice on the PS7 because Xbox will be on there with their first-party only offerings (not day and date though), but again, you can expect Sony to massively increase their subscription pricing. Thus, any money you might have saved on not having bought an Xbox console, will have been massively overpaid, and then some, to Sony over the course of that generation.

Lastly, you have to also question just how complacent Sony will become when it comes to making games. Now that they will have all this content flooding in from Xbox, the pressure is off to make compelling, innovative content. The type of content that has made the PlayStation so successful. Already this generation, we have seen nothing innovative from Sony. Only samey sequels and remasters. That is the future of the PlayStation when the pressure applied by the Xbox console has been eased...

@Fiendish-Beaver Oh I completely agree. Heck, Sony is already being complacent being in its ivory tower! How many Remasters/Director's Cuts has Sony put out on PS5 vs. how many new games has it put out?

Sony has almost resold the entire PS4 exclusive catalog as PS5 games:

Spider-Man Remastered
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut
Uncharted 4: Legacy of Thieves Collection
Death Stranding Director's Cut
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered

Then we have remakes:
Demons' Souls
The Last of Us Part 1

I am shocked God of War, Days Gone, and Horizon Zero Dawn haven't had the Remastered treatment, yet!

Microsoft hasn't done a Remaster or Director's Cut since...what...Gears of War Anniversary Edition? Microsoft has been putting out actual new games - whether the games have resonated with the masses is another story.

It is curious that, for all the bashing fanboys do on Microsoft games, they certainly showed a lot of interest in Microsoft games when the thought of Microsoft going full third-party was in the rumor mill. Kind of sad, really, that a game is trash when it's not on your plastic box.

I don't see Microsoft leaving the console space though. I see it being conservative with manufacturing and sales numbers, but I don't see it leaving entirely. Sony needs a competitor more than anyone. I would hope that if Microsoft did leave, someone else enters the ring.

Nintendo is too much of a complimentary console rather than competition.

@ScoTTieDLighT The reason to keep games exclusive is to lure players into your ecosystem. Helldivers 2 might be a great game but a system seller it is not. Especially since it launched on PC as well.

@Shushibda agreed, didn't like the dialogue at first then became one of my favourite open worlds. I'm glad I gave it a second chance.

@Avaloner I personally know 3 people that bought PS5s strictly for Helldivers 2. And social media is full of people mentioning they just got their first Sony consoles for it. So definitely gonna have to disagree there.

@Doublecell Well, of course they benefit. Poor phrasing on my part. They are possibly benefitting less than they could. Game development is very expensive. Sony already begrudgingly releases games on PC because of this; is it too much of a stretch to extend releases out to Xbox too?

@Avaloner I disagree, the guys down the pub are gonna buy one , just because of this game,they was round mine the other night , we're older gamers that grew up with the spectrum and amiga , also big fans of starship troopers , I also shown them robocop and that sealed the deal.