Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Microsoft has decided to port four of its Xbox-exclusive games to other consoles (most recently Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush made the jump to PlayStation 5), as industry sources tell us that the Xbox line isn’t selling very well in Europe.

In February, Microsoft also said that it was continuing to work on new hardware that would bring the biggest technological leap forward ever (at what cost, though?), but the truth may be a darker picture. Gamesindustry editor-in-chief Christopher Dring has reliable industry sources and has heard from both a “very prominent” and an indie publisher that the performance of the Xbox line is “flatlining” on our continent.

Last year’s performance of Microsoft’s two consoles in Europe was already lackluster, but even by comparison it has deteriorated, and now publishers are asking the question: is there any point in supporting Xbox? According to Dring, most Xbox exclusives will eventually appear on PlayStation 5, and Xbox Game Pass is not getting as much attention as its popularity has already peaked. If you were hearing this from a sensationalist publication, you might be skeptical, but since this is a professional site, you can’t sweep their information under the rug.

Nintendo was in a similarly hopeless situation with the GameCube, but managed to turn things around with the Wii. SEGA was no better with the Dreamcast, and then had to pull out of a console market so dominated by the PlayStation 2 that it became the best-selling console, a record it still holds today. We’re not sure if Microsoft will often be in the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PC multiplatform line-up of third-party multiplatform titles…

However, Microsoft has acquired Activision Blizzard, making the Redmond tech giant one of the largest third-party publishers in the world and giving them a number of IPs they can’t afford to miss on Xbox (like Call of Duty).

Source: WCCFTech