Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said that Microsoft’s pivot to multiplatform, and decision to release games on rival PlayStation, partly stem from its research into Gen Z purchasing habits. The generation — born between mid/late 1990s and early 2010s — have vastly different consumption patterns than the older generations.
How Gen Z drove Microsoft to release Xbox games on PlayStation and Nintendo
In an interview with Polygon, Spencer highlighted the need for companies to adapt to changing markets and demographics. “This notion that Xbox can only be this one device that plugs into a television isn’t something we see in the Gen Z research because nothing else is like that for them,” he said.
Using the example of mobile devices, Spencer pointed out that Gen Z purchase iPhones and Android phones depending on their preference, but have the same apps and games available on both of them. “Some of them will have an iPhone, some will have an Android, but all the games and everything is the same,” Spencer said. “I can still get to TikTok on both of them. All of their stuff is available wherever they want.”
Spencer concluded his thoughts by saying that Microsoft needs to change in order to maintain relevance with younger buyers.
