Ex-Nintendo Boss: Xbox Isn’t ‘Directly’ Competing Anymore, But There’ll Always Be A War

Earlier today, we covered former Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aimé discussing Xbox’s lack of embrace for the Switch 2, and within that same discussion with The Game Business, he elaborated on the “conflict” between Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation that has typically existed over the last 24 years.

Xbox occupies a distinct position nowadays, of course — it’s no longer solely about console achievements, as Microsoft is now categorizing virtually everything as an “Xbox” — and Reggie implies that the era of direct rivalry is effectively concluded.

“I truly believe that the time of direct rivalry is finished. With a significant portion of the Xbox business now centered on publishing, by definition, they represent a substantial third-party publisher that also produces some hardware. From that perspective, they are no longer directly contending with the PlayStation business.”

Reggie emphasized during the conversation that it would be in Microsoft’s best interest to get Xbox software onto the Nintendo Switch 2, while also indicating that the company requires Sony’s cooperation regarding first-party ports on PS5.

Nonetheless, he cautions that the console conflict — or whatever “conflict” it will be termed in the future — will not disappear completely. Due to a “contest for focus and mindshare,” he states it will continue to simmer beneath the surface.

“Gamers out there have restricted budgets. You need to excel for every dollar spent; you have to triumph for every minute spent gaming. Therefore, there will perpetually be a struggle ongoing. It might be below the surface, but there’s always going to be a contest for focus and mindshare.”

All of this resonates logically from our viewpoint, as while Xbox aims to concentrate on various platforms and act as a third-party publisher these days, we still have a new Xbox console on the horizon, and the ROG Xbox Ally is another gadget for which Microsoft is trying to gain attention. The organization still wants to distribute as many of these systems as possible, even if it isn’t their primary goal anymore.

Reggie consistently makes a great deal of sense anyway – one of the most charming and admired figures we’ve ever encountered in the gaming realm! Whenever he expresses an opinion, we’re always ready to listen.

What are your thoughts on the ex-Nintendo executive’s remarks here? Share below.