In a rare move, the official Xbox Twitter account posted a wholesome tweet on July 16 in response to the legion of trolls who - regardless of the context - often respond to Xbox social media posts with the shallow remark that PlayStation is the better console. Zealous fans regularly populate the online forums of competing home console brands, an unfortunate reality of the video game industry.
Ever since the late 1980s and early 1990s, the idea of console wars has permeated the home video game market. The intense rivalry between Sega and Nintendo for dominance of the home console market, particularly in North America, played out for all to see in the advertising space and manifested locally in arguments on the school playground about which console was superior. As the video game industry evolved and markets shifted, Sega fell by the wayside while, together, Xbox and PlayStation entered the console space. Though their rivalry during the PS3 and Xbox 360 era is legendary, Microsoft has recently opted to forgo the traditional mindset of console wars in favor of platform agnosticism, at least in its marketing approach.
On July 16, the official Xbox Twitter account finally decided to respond to the trolls who ceaselessly advocate for PlayStation in its replies (via Pure Xbox). Xbox tweeted the wholesome message, "To the people in our replies saying 'PS5 is better': The best console is the one you enjoy playing. Have fun!" As of now, the tweet has over 184k Likes, which is an unusually positive response to one of its tweets. The comments are also full of industry pundits, brands, and developers reinforcing the positivity that goes beyond console wars in favor of a general gaming audience. Even Cory Barlog, the Creative Director of PlayStation's 2018 God of War, responded with positive affirmation. Xbox proceeded to thank Barlog in kind.
While gamers should remember that Xbox is still a brand attempting to market a product (and being viewed in a positive light is a part of that marketing), the push from Xbox for gamers to be kind and accept one another no matter where one plays is a net good for the industry. It alleviates the desire for players to vehemently defend their purchases and, instead, advocates for a celebration of the medium as a whole. The tweet effectively acknowledges the trolls, lets them know that their feelings can be valid, and encourages them to continue playing on PlayStation if that brings them the most joy.
It was risky of Xbox to acknowledge the trolls at all, as attention can often elicit more trolling. But the gambit appears to have paid off, with rousing positivity being the prevailing response. Although Xbox's marketing strategy might seem antithetical to selling a product, it allows Xbox to present itself as the welcoming brand of openness and acceptance, as highlighted by a PS5 controller appearing in a recent Xbox ad. The positive side effect of this strategy is the growing, mainstream disapproval of petty console wars.
Source: Xbox/Twitter, Pure Xbox, Cory Barlog/Twitter