Sony and Microsoft dropped a bombshell announcement earlier today when the two video game giants revealed they had come to terms on collaborative partnership that will see both parties work on new cloud-based solutions for gaming experiences.
The news comes under a month away from what is supposedly going to be a relevatory E3 2019 for Microsoft and the Xbox brand, with many speculating it could signal the company’s departure from the console market as it begins to pursue partnerships and cloud-based streaming services instead.
It’s not like Microsoft hasn’t been aggressively pursuing partnerships this year already, either — the company already infamously has something in the works with Nintendo beyond just bringing the occasional Xbox exclusive title to the Switch, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer has loudly proclaimed over social media that he’s willing to enter talks with just about anyone regarding the future of gaming and how the Xbox brand fits into it.
While that was initially seen as a sign of weakness from a company that’s current-gen console has been soundly thrashed by its competitors, it now appears to be a pivot that will see Xbox potentially redesign the way it approaches gaming.
