Xbox games coming to PS5 is reminiscent of SEGA’s end of Dreamcast era

The rumor that Xbox games are coming to PS5 is a very interesting proposal. Fans worldwide are quick to cast aspersions - whether it’s “the end of Xbox,” or simply shouting about how unfair it is to have exclusives move to other platforms.

This reminds me a great deal of SEGA’s exit of the console market. They suffered through five years of losses, and when the Dreamcast came around, gamers could practically feel the end was coming. While many of the best titles from that platform are still exclusive, SEGA stopped dealing in exclusives and started dealing in ports instead.

Is it the end of the world? No, probably not, but does it have people wondering if something tragic is on the horizon? It could also simply be that Microsoft wants more money, and are looking at bringing their hit games to other platforms.

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Xbox games coming to PS5 feels similar to the end of SEGA consoles

Is it the end of the world to see Hi-Fi Rush on PS5? No, probably not (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

Technically, Xbox games coming to PS5 is similar to the post-Dreamcast era, but it all really started to happen during the Dreamcast’s life, it feels like. The company, facing constant losses and plummeting value in the home console market, began to look towards software instead of hardware. By 2001, SEGA had completely stopped making hardware, and was focused solely on bringing their hit games elsewhere.

It wasn’t too long before you’d see games like Sonic Adventure 2 popping up on non-SEGA consoles. For about two decades, franchise players like Sonic only appeared on SEGA platforms, and it made sense. But sooner or later, change comes.

Am I suggesting that Xbox games coming to PS5 means that Microsoft is going to get out of the console business? Absolutely not. But it does remind me of the days when I started seeing Crazy Taxi show up on the PlayStation 2 in 2001, a year after the initial Dreamcast launch.

Even Crazy Taxi made it to other platforms (Image via SEGA)

Does Microsoft need to leave the console game and start porting Xbox games to PS5 more frequently? They absolutely do not. Microsoft is a titanic company and could be at a “too big to fail” status. However, one thing I’ve noticed is that Microsoft certainly don’t make as many exclusives as they used to.

Starfield and Hi-Fi Rush, both which are rumored to be Xbox games coming to PS5, were staples of the Microsoft platform. Even after all these years, Nintendo exclusives remain, and do not waver. You won’t see Super Mario Bros. Wonder on PC - unless you’re pirating video games.

The difference between SEGA and Microsoft is that SEGA had no choice but to get out of the console game. It was bringing the company financial ruin. Could Microsoft do the same? It’s not outside of the realm of possibility.

All this means is more people can play the same great games (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

All that money that goes into consoles could go into creating games for multiple platforms. Especially with Microsoft's plan to lay off 10,000 employees, there’s always a chance it could benefit the company in the long-term.

It’s incredibly expensive to develop and market something like the Xbox Series X|S. Phil Spencer has admitted in the past that the company suffers losses on every unit that is sold. With that in mind, bringing Xbox games to the PS5 could definitely alleviate some of those losses.

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While we have no idea what the future holds, this rumor does remind me of the late 90s/early 2000s. At the time, SEGA got out of the game forever and instead focused on creating amazing titles, instead of failing hardware.