Former Xbox and EA executive Peter Moore has shed some light on the history of PlayStation vs. Xbox console war in a new interview, arguing that Microsoft had to create console wars in order to make its mark in the industry. Moore is referring to the time when Sega’s gaming hardware business collapsed, making PlayStation the dominant player in the market.
Xbox had to spend millions to secure parity with PlayStation, says Peter Moore
In a recent interview with Iron Lords Podcast, Moore said that Microsoft had “nothing to lose” when it came to console wars back in the day because the market was already dominated by PlayStation. “You’re writing really big checks to get content — you don’t have an install base that you could point to,” Moore said, adding that Microsoft spent millions to ensure that games were released on Xbox day-and-date with PlayStation.
Apparently, Microsoft needed to travel the world to speak to developers and publishers because they were “in Sony’s pocket coming out of the Dreamcast falling off.” This specific conversation starts at 1:46:00 mark in the video below.
Interestingly, Microsoft expressed similar sentiments when justifying its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, arguing that Sony has won the PlayStation vs. Xbox console war and has an easier time securing content for its platforms.
