Gamers Still Pick Consoles for Exclusives, New Data Finds

According to Circana data, the number one reason gamers choose to buy a particular console is because of exclusive games.

The Game Business reports that 41% of US players said they picked their platform of choice because of exclusives. The figure was closer to 50% a year ago, but it’s still the number one decision maker for most American consumers.

(Interestingly, the second reason with 38% was because friends and family already own a specific format, despite the prevalence of crossplay these days.)

It’s hardly a groundbreaking observation, but it runs counter to the narrative Xbox leadership has been espousing over the past two or three years. It seems like the company’s stance may be softening under new CEO Asha Sharma, but its previous executives described the model as “antiquated”.

Exclusives have always been a key differentiator between devices, and it seems Sony has also got the message. It spent much of this generation porting its biggest first-party PS5 hits to PC, but after poor sales, it looks like it’s pulling the plug on that strategy.

Interestingly, The Game Business does note that while first-party franchises like Ghost of Yotei and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 have prompted an uplift in PS5 sales, Sony tends to enjoy the biggest bumps to its hardware from third-party titles, like EA Sports FC and NBA 2K.

But we think there’s a cumulative effect taking place here. Sony does a brilliant job tethering its wagon to those big third-party releases – it markets the crap out of multiple sports games every year – but they comprise a piece of its overall strategy. PS5 is the only place you’ll be able to play Marvel’s Wolverine and GTA 6 this year, for example.

As you’d expect, Nintendo franchises like Pokémon and The Legend of Zelda have a greater influence on Switch hardware sales overall, but the data is pretty conclusive here: consumers do factor exclusives into their decision making when it comes to picking a piece of hardware.

How important are exclusives to you when you pick up a new console?