Thomas Mahler, the mind behind Moon Studios and creator of the Ori games, recently shared his thoughts on the ongoing conversation about PlayStation exclusives. Although the Ori series was initially crafted for Xbox and PC, it eventually launched on almost every platform—except PlayStation. Mahler, now openly critical of platform exclusives, believes a shift is on the horizon.
In a detailed post on X, Mahler offered his backing to Xbox leader Phil Spencer, commending Spencer’s stance on broader releases across multiple platforms. Mahler pointed out that Moon Studios’ decision to collaborate with Take-Two on their project, No Rest for the Wicked, was heavily motivated by their desire to reach a wider audience rather than be constrained to a single platform or two.
Reflecting on past conversations with Phil Spencer, Mahler said, “Over the years, I often told Phil how ridiculous it would be if certain DVDs could only play on Sony players, while others required a Samsung device. Consoles have pretty much reached their ceiling with 100-150 million players over the last couple of decades. To really grow the industry, we need to make accessing content easier for everyone.”
Mahler went on to express that he’d be taken aback if Sony doesn’t eventually adopt a strategy similar to Microsoft’s, especially given how closely aligned the two companies are in many respects. He also noted that Nintendo is likely to keep blazing its unique trail in the gaming world.
He also shared a tweet where he stated, “People often ask me to pick sides in the console wars, but I firmly believe that Xbox’s approach with Phil is spot on. A while back, we decided against making our game with Microsoft because it would have meant not releasing on PlayStation and Switch, and honestly, we wanted to reach every corner of the market we could.”
We’re curious—what do you think about Mahler’s views? Share your thoughts on this evolving landscape in gaming!
