Xbox Is 'In a Pickle' Because Microsoft Never Picked a Lane, Says Ex-PlayStation Boss

Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden says Xbox's struggles stem from Microsoft's inability to stick to one strategy, citing exclusivity flip-flops and Game Pass tensions.

Ever wonder why Xbox keeps changing its tune? You're not alone. Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden says Microsoft's biggest problem is that it never really picked a lane—and stayed in it.

Speaking on The Expansion Pass, Layden—the former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment America—didn't hold back. "I think Microsoft never really picked a lane. Or if they picked a lane, they didn't stay in it very long," he said. That constant flip-flopping has made it hard for Xbox to gain ground on PlayStation's massive lead.

The most obvious example? Exclusivity. After buying Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, Microsoft seemed to say every Xbox game would also come to PS5. Then, sometime this year, it decided, "actually, no, we're doing exclusives again"—at least for some games. Layden explains the tension perfectly: "A platform needs exclusives or the platform has no meaning," but "if you're the biggest publisher in the world, you almost have to be on every platform, because that's how the business model works. You can't be successful at both."

Then there's Xbox Game Pass. Layden points out that putting big titles on a subscription service day one inherently devalues them. "If you're going to do that, then are you expecting people are going to buy content if they can get it on a subscription service?" he asks. The math just doesn't add up when you're trying to be everything at once.

Layden suggests Microsoft's deep pockets have delayed the consequences. "If you're sitting on a big bunch of Microsoft money perhaps you don't feel that tension until, you know, slowly slowly slowly and then all at once where it becomes very hard to ignore," he says. "And I think they've got themselves in a pickle, to be honest."

As for new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, Layden says she "is doing her best to try to right the ship," adding, "I hope she does it. Though I don't know what that looks like." It's a tough spot—but maybe not impossible to escape.

So, what do you think? Can Xbox find its lane and finally stick to it, or is this just the new normal? Will you be picking up the next big Xbox exclusive, or are you waiting to see how it all shakes out? Let us know in the comments.