Xbox is reportedly 'flat' in Europe, publishers are questioning support, and more PS5 ports are coming

While Microsoft has tried to put a happy face on things, the future of Xbox — at least Xbox as a premium brand with its own hardware and exclusives — has never been more in question. Microsoft last month tried to allay concerns with an Xbox Business update, revealing that many older, smaller games are now cross-platform, but others, like Starfield, are not currently. Furthermore, they have pledged to continue working on new hardware which, apparently, will deliver the “biggest technological leap ever” (I don't know how they plan to make that boast happen).

This all sounds good, but it may be at odds with some of the stark realities that Xbox faces in the console space. According to Christopher Dring of GameIndustry.biz, which has proven to be a reliable source of industry updates in the past, has heard from a “very prominent” publisher and another independent pub that the Xbox Series It wasn't really that good last year, with some European retailers dropping the Xbox Series

The points of concern don't end there, as Dring has heard that a “majority” of Xbox exclusives will end up on PS5 at some point, and less focus is being placed on Game Pass, which has largely plateaued in popularity. . Of course, take this with a grain of salt, but GamesIndustry isn't known for publishing exciting titles or vague rumours.

Microsoft can say it wants to keep making hardware whatever it wants, but if publishers stop caring about putting their software on your platform, that's where reality comes into play. That's when things started to get scary for Nintendo during the Gamecube era. This is what happened to Sega before they had to give up their hardware. “PC, PlayStation, and Xbox” being the standard platform for all third-party games isn't something Microsoft can rely on forever. With the purchase of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft is now one of the largest third-party publishers in the world, and it will be difficult to escape the pull pulling them further in this direction.

what do you think? Do you see a future where traditional Xbox is still a thing or is the writing on the wall?