We’re finally at a point where all three platform holders in the industry can be confident in their portfolio of first party studios, thanks to Microsoft’s concerted efforts to catch up to their competitors over the last couple of years. But even with stuff competition from all fronts, it’s fair to say that with the likes of Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Pokemon, and so many more, Nintendo have the sort of cache in the market that nobody else does. Someone else who definitely feels that way is Xbox boss Phil Spencer.
Speaking recently on an episode of Animal Crossing-based Twitch talk show Animal Talking (via Nintendo Life), Spencer had a lot of high praises to give to Nintendo and the way the Japanese giant does things. After talking about their strategies for building consoles and games around singular ideas and the incredible results they get from that, Spencer went on to say that Nintendo are “masterful at what they do” and have “the strongest first party pedigree out there.”
“In entertainment business, you know, most things don’t turn out to be huge successes so there always has to be some amount of surprise, but Nintendo is just masterful at what they do,” Spencer said. “And I’ve said it before, I think they have the strongest first party pedigree out there and strength, and they’re a jewel for us in the games industry and something we should protect.”
With the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and so many more having come from Nintendo these last few years, it’s hard to disagree with Spencer’s point of view- which is really saying something, especially given the impressive lineup of games Sony’s first party studios have made this generation. Here’s hoping it continues, and that Sony and Microsoft continue to strive to match that kind of output.
