Platform exclusivity has been a thing in gaming since the beginning of the medium. You had Mario only on Nintendo machines, Sonic only on Sega, Crash Bandicoot only on PlayStation and Master Chief only on Xbox.

However nowadays the lines are getting blurrier, and many question, is platform exclusivity dead? Does it really serve a purpose? And why, if it is still there if it does exist? And so we think it's a good idea to take a quick look at these questions to really find out.

Is platform exclusivity dead?

So to start with our first question, “Is platform exclusivity dead?” Wellllll, it's neither a yes nor a no (let me explain). You see, whilst companies like Nintendo, for instance, are still very strict with their IPs, other companies now aren't as strict.

You see, Xbox is the prime example of a company not strict now; in fact, Phil Spencer himself stated, "To keep games off of other platforms, that's not a path for us. It doesn't work for us," and it is very clear that this statement is true because now games like Grand Turismo, Gears of War, Sea of Thieves and many more are on other platforms such as PlayStation, for instance.

However, not every company is as lenient with their games as Xbox, which is why the answer to “Is platform exclusivity dead?” is neither a yes nor a no currently but rather a more nuanced “It is still a thing, just not as forced and implemented now.”

Does it serve a purpose?

Now this is a question that has always followed the conversation when it comes to platform exclusivity, and that is, “Does it really serve a purpose?” and the answer is a resounding YES, YES, IT DOES!

You see the big reasoning behind platform exclusivity is simply because it drives gamers to platforms. You have Sony fans, Xbox fans, and Nintendo fans all simply because of the games on their consoles not the actual hardware.

If hardware was the only thing people cared about, then everyone would be a PC gamer; however, due to exclusivity and games being only available on certain platforms, this is why you have “Nintendo fans” and “Sony fans”.

So why does it still exist?

So it may seem like “Does it serve a purpose?” and “Why does it still exist?” are the exact same question; however, they actually aren't because they both offer different insights. Understanding platform exclusivity is one thing, but understanding why it still exists is another.

You see, the reason why console exclusivity still exists in 2026 (and probably will many years after this article) is simply because it's also how platforms compete and pull in players. You see, whilst Xbox are ditching the platform exclusivity and are going for the whole “we want all our games everywhere” strategy, it isn’t exactly working out for them.

From 2025 onwards Xbox has recorded record lows in game sales, platform users, hardware sales and really almost every metric you can think of, and that is largely due to their new tactic of making every Xbox exclusive and game available everywhere.

Because, simply put, why buy a console when you can just get all their games on another platform? Which is why you even now see Sony and Nintendo repeatedly record new highs when it comes to game sales, platform users, and hardware sales because these platforms have their games mainly only available on their devices.

So what does the future hold?

I think it's safe to say that for gaming the future of exclusivity will be a future in which it continues to exist. However, I do think we will also continue to see a shift in how strict the exclusivity is.

We are seeing it now; even with some Nintendo games and some PlayStation games, they are ending up on PC and other respected platforms, and that will continue to happen. However, will we ever see a mainline Pokémon game on the Xbox or PlayStation? Well, I don't think that will be happening anytime soon…