Phil Spencer: Sony Buys Third-Party Deals for PS4 to Compete with First-Party Xbox One Focus

The race between the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 continues to be a very competitive one, and it seems that hardware creators Microsoft and Sony have chosen very different strategies for the all-important fall launch season.

The two companies are both trying to secure as much exclusive content as possible.

Microsoft is launching a number of titles in series that have long been associated with the Xbox brand and has secured timed exclusivity for Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Sony is more interested in offering exclusive content for major titles that launch on both devices, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and Destiny.

Phil Spencer, the head of the Xbox brand, is quoted by Gamespot as saying that Sony does not simply use its sales lead to gobble up deals.

According to the executive, "They buy them. You know, I read the same things you do, and I know some people think it's somehow less expensive to sign third-party exclusives if you have a bigger market-share. I can tell you, it has nothing to do with market share."

Spencer says third parties, including major publishers like Activision, will have their own calculation about the value and will try to get as much out of a deal with a platform holder like Sony or Microsoft.

Microsoft will focus on its own games for the foreseeable future

Sony has not said what kind of deal was needed to secure some exclusive content linked to The Taken King expansion for Destiny for the PlayStation 4 and the PS3.

The company is also not offering details about a new partnership with Activision, which will mean all downloadable content for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will initially be offered on Sony platforms.

Microsoft has said that it will focus on making its first-party lineup, which at the moment includes Forza 6 Motorsport and Halo 5: Guardians, attractive to gamers who want to get a new home console.

At the moment, the PlayStation 4 is leading when it comes to global sales and has also performed better than the Xbox One in the United States for all but one of the months of 2015.