Developing a deep and rewarding catalog of games is a lot of work, even for the video game industry's top dogs. While Sony has started to lean towards increasing the amount of third-party exclusives they obtain for the PS4, Microsoft's approach to the Xbox One has been a little different. For example, Microsoft announced the Xbox Game Preview earlier this year that functions a lot like Steam's Early Access, giving gamers a chance to play pre-release indie titles on their Xbox One.

However, as far as third-party exclusives are concerned, Sony's recent moves in the market have left Xbox fans a little concerned. Amidst rumors that the increase in exclusives for Sony spelled out bad news for Microsoft, Xbox boss Phil Spener took time out of his busy schedule to shed a little light on the situation.

Phil Spencer made it very clear in a recent interview with Gamespot that Sony's focus on expanding relations with third-party publishers is not a matter of the publishers pursuing Sony for exclusives, but rather Sony making it a priority to purchase those publisher's games. Spencer also commented on the popular belief that the recent flurry of third-party exclusives headed Sony's way is related to their increasing market share, stating:

"You know, I read the same things you do, and I know some people think it's somehow less expensive to sign third-party exclusives if you have a bigger market share. I can tell you, it has nothing to do with market share."

While it initially seemed that the Playstation 4's impressive sales numbers were the driving force behind Sony's recent increase in third-party exclusives, Spencer's insider opinion suggests otherwise. According to him, it would appear that deals with third-parties vary wildly based on the publisher, and since they are the ones who get to determine the market value of their games, they are in control of how exclusive deals are made. Besides, Microsoft is beginning to invest more into developing first-party IPs, new or old.

Said Spencer:

"We're making a conscious decision to focus on our first-party games. It doesn't make it harder or easier, it's just a decision. I do think that building up first-party exclusives is creatively more difficult than signing a deal, just by the nature of what it is."

The news that Xbox has started to put a greater emphasis on developing their own first-party IPs became clear even without Spencer's interview, as their Gamescom presentation opened up with Quantum Break and closed with Halo Wars 2. For those counting, those are two AAA first-party IPs exclusive to Microsoft. Spencer's belief that "Xbox is in a stretch where all its first-party teams are doing an incredible job" seems apt given how the industry giant went about its Gamescom display.

That Xbox is re-prioritizing how they want to approach their game development makes sense in the wake of Sony's continued market dominance. By offering quality first-party IPs exclusive to the Xbox One, Microsoft is able to give themselves a chance to create potentially huge franchises that could swing sales back in their favor. What do you think about Sony's deals with third-party exclusives? Is Microsoft's approach better in the long-term? Are you impressed we got this far in the article before mentioning Phil Spencer loves Destiny? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Gamespot (via VG24/7)