Ex Xbox Boss Admits to Encouraging Console Wars Because They Were ‘Healthy’

For all intents and purposes, the console wars gamers loved (or hated) are no more. Gone are the days of gaming executives taking shots at rival companies to show dominance in the industry. Now, Xbox is bringing its first-party titles to PlayStation platforms, a move that would seem absolutely bonkers as recently as five years ago. When asked about this new strategy, former Xbox boss Peter Moore admitted to encouraging the console wars back in the early 2000s because it was “healthy for the industry.”

“I did encourage the battle, because I think gamers loved to see Xbox versus PlayStation,” says former Xbox boss

Moore’s response comes from a recent interview on Danny Peña’s YouTube channel (via VGC). Shaping the original Xbox and Xbox 360 era, the former exec suggests the console wars helped the big three gaming companies (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo) stay relevant in a time when video games were a controversial subject in the mainstream.

Moore was known for PR stunts involving tattoos. In one case, he got a Grand Theft Auto IV tattoo to convince gamers it was more associated with Xbox than PlayStation.

“We needed to do a ton of missionary work in those days, and at the same time we were young enough to have fun, and do all the daft stuff that we did, and all the stunts,” says Moore. “I think the console wars that you’re kind of alluding to were healthy for the industry.”

“Look, I’ve said it before – certainly, I did encourage the battle, because I think gamers loved to see Xbox versus PlayStation, maybe Nintendo as well, and that I think was a rising tide that lifted all ships,” Moore continued.

Moore also gave his thoughts on the current state of Xbox. In a way, Microsoft “lost” the console war as its strategy has shifted to bringing its first-party games to as many places as it possibly can. The company even ran the “This Is an Xbox” ad campaign alluding to this new strategy. While Moore states the “feistiness” of the company has dwindled, the Activision Blizzard purchase was a catalyst for Microsoft’s new economic focus.

“The acquisition of Activision Blizzard changed things, I think – not I think, I know – at Microsoft,” Moore said, “and so this is not the old days of the console wars, and punching each other, and trying to steal customers and trying to get market share and build your attach rate. This is bigger than that in an economic sense.”

“Has it lost a little bit of the feistiness that the industry I think fed upon and grew upon? I think so, yeah,” Moore continued.

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