Michael Pachter Explains Why Sony Is More Successful
This generation has seen ups and downs for games, and that is nowhere more apparent than in Microsoft’s court. The recent release of PS4 exclusive God of War has deepened the apparent chasm between consoles and their gaming lineups. Therefore, one has to ask, is it too late for Microsoft to improve their library? Analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities believes it is not.
But, Pachter disagrees on a lot of things. According to him, console exclusive titles no longer matter, but certain timed-exclusive deals do. He said as much in an interview with GamingBolt.
“No, [it’s not too late]. I’m not sure that console exclusives matter as much as they used to,” said Pachter. “I mean when Sony first launched the PlayStation, they had to have a lot of exclusives, because they needed to demonstrate why you wanted to switch from Nintendo to them. These things are so well established by now, though, that I don’t think you need tremendous first party support anymore. In fact, I’m not even sure first party support is why most people buy PlayStation consoles. I think they buy a PS4 because it’s a great device, and because they like PSN more than Xbox Live, and because it has a lot of cool content, third and first party. I think a major driver is the timed exclusive Call of Duty DLC content for the mainstream market… I think that’s helped.
“So, no, I think Microsoft is fine. Their first party quality aren’t necessarily bad games, I think they just have smaller addressable markets, because they don’t have the broad appeal that a Sony or Nintendo game has. And, you know, I personally think Sony has done a great job focusing on single player games. And Microsoft is so committed to focusing on multiplayer, that they haven’t done a great job with single player. I honestly think that’s the primary difference between Sony and Microsoft, not quality, Microsoft’s games are good (Sea of Thieves notwithstanding).”
While there’s merit to what Pachter says in the interview, he seemingly disregards the fact that PlayStation 4 has doubled its sales over the Xbox One. Last generation, the PS3 and Xbox 360 were near neck and neck, but the disparity is stark this generation. Therefore, to say the primary difference between the two is, “not quality,” sounds odd. Once Microsoft does deliver new exclusive games, we may see the real boost that quality can bring. We may catch a glimpse through E3 revelations. Stay tuned.