During the mid-1990s, a bitter tech war was in full swing, dividing classrooms, workplaces and friendships across the nation. It centred around gaming, and on what console you owned, and what games you could (and couldn't) play.
Dubbed the console wars, this era was defined by exclusive games published and released on just one platform. If you didn’t have the right setup, you were locked out of the magic. No exceptions.
The importance of and the aftermath of the console wars cannot be overstated. There were big winners and losers throughout, all of which planted the seeds for the multi-billion-dollar industry we know today.
Console exclusivity has fostered a complex rivalry among Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo (and their respective fandoms), which continues to evolve to this day. But a white flag on the console war may well be on the horizon, as gamers are asked to drop arms against their rivals.
That's because some of the biggest names in gaming are finding new homes on rival machines. Chances are high that if you have access to a screen, you can play most (if not all) of the heavy hitters now.
So is the age of game exclusivity over? Could there be an end to the decades-long feud between developers, publishers, and fans?
Donald Trump and the White House certainly seem to think so.
'Power to the players'
No one would have thought twenty years ago that Crash Bandicoot would be jumping around on Xbox consoles, or that you could play Final Fantasy back where it first originated. That smash hits like Helldivers 2, Indiana Jones & the Great Circle and Forza Horizon 5 could be found on storefronts.
But the real crescendo of events came when one gaming giant, once thought of as the Xbox’s secret weapon in exclusivity terms, was announced for the PlayStation 5. That’s right. Halo is finally coming to PlayStation.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is described on the PS5 store as ‘a faithful yet modernised remake of Halo: Combat Evolved’s campaign,’ rebuilt for today's hardware. The store page acts as both an introduction for newcomers to the 25-year-old game, while also reaffirming its legendary status to those already in the know.
The announcement caught the attention of retailer GameStop, which penned a viral announcement calling an end to the console wars, stating: "For the past two decades, the global gaming community has been engaged in an ongoing and increasingly petty feud known as The Console Wars.
A Statement from GameStop pic.twitter.com/GraJAT69aI
— GameStop (@gamestop) October 25, 2025
The statement added: "console loyalists are instructed to cease hostilities, disband militias, and enjoy this new era of gaming".
Keen to curry favour with the gaming community, the White House became involved, posting an AI-generated Donald Trump in a tweet that has been viewed over 44 million times. It simply said 'Power to the Players'.
Needless to say, the reaction to Trump donning the Master Chief garb in front of American flags was mixed, to say the least. But the idea that the White House highlighted such an unthinkable crossover cannot be overlooked.
Power to the Players https://t.co/GqNu0qdgmw pic.twitter.com/4Hw6G7i7aW
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 27, 2025
The nostalgia (and annoyance) of exclusivity in gaming
Exclusivity is part and parcel of entertainment nowadays. And it is both frustrating and costly, as consumers chase the proper setup to enjoy what they want, when they want, on a near constant basis.
It gets more complex with gaming, though, as you need to invest in a whole host of tech and games that aren’t exactly cheap, nor easy to cancel on a whim like your Netflix or Disney+ account.
For that reason, given the surge of gaming during the 90s, the consoles we invested in had a huge impact on the kind of stories we grew up with, the characters we fell in love with, and ultimately what companies did (and did not) survive the tech war. Once you choose, you commit to them fully.
In my home, we pioneered the PlayStation 1. Launched in 1995, the console went on to sell over 100 million units, directly challenging the status and dominance of both the Nintendo 64 and the SEGA Saturn, the giants of the era.
The PS1’s introduction of CD-ROM technology lured many seasoned developers to embrace the newcomer, helping flesh out its library at a record pace. And with the PS1 nestled in the living room, my childhood was filled with adventures from Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon to Lara Croft and epic tales from Final Fantasies VII through to IX.
Many a weekend was spent passing controllers between cousins, facing off in Tekken 2 or Gran Turismo. Friends who opted for the rival Nintendo 64 console no doubt have entirely different gaming experiences. They got to enjoy their Super Mario and Mario Kart, their GoldenEye 007, Pokémon Stadium and Legend of Zelda adventures. I’d be lying if playdates with them weren’t a bit more lucrative, just to see what games I was missing out on.
Flash forward to now, and the PS1 is now perched up on my shelf like a digital relic, with its physical discs locked behind their tiny plastic cases. It has (and continues to) have an undeniable effect on the kinds of games I continue to play today.
Thirty years on, and a much-needed and unexpected change is upon us. A new dawn is set to take hold, and for once in the entertainment industry, these decisions will help consumers, not hinder or divide them.
The console wars are over – now what?
The console wars were always the backdrop of the gaming industry. And like any war, there were winners and losers. The SEGA Saturn failed to make an impact in the 90s, and, coupled with the underperforming Dreamcast, the company eventually bowed out of the console market entirely, switching to publishing. But their bitter feud with Nintendo set the scene for future digital turf wars.
Over the years, whether you bought your Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 or Nintendo Wii, whether you wanted your fill of Mario or Master Chief, each new iteration of a console promised brand-new games, new technologies and innovations, and new drama between consumers.
Everyone thought their pick was the real winner. But now, with more games crossing the trenches into 'enemy' territory, it seems that, for the most part, the console wars are done and dusted.
One of the biggest concerns over the Activision Blizzard acquisition by Microsoft (to the tune of a whopping $68.7 billion) centred on whether Call of Duty would become an Xbox exclusive and be taken off PlayStation storefronts. Such concerns seem silly now.
The fact is, modern-day games are becoming incredibly accessible, venturing onto multiple platforms and allowing cross-play between different platforms, including mobile phones, via cloud technology.
The ramifications of this for consumers will be huge. You’re no longer expected to invest in multiple consoles, and you’re no longer locked out of epic adventures because of the hardware you own (or don't).
That said, Nintendo is still holding on to a string of lucrative franchises, keen to help push Switch 2 sales to new heights. We aren’t expecting Mario, Zelda and Pikachu to jump onto your PlayStation or Xbox platforms - just yet, anyway.
But honestly, who knows? The fact that Halo has just done the unthinkable proves that anything is possible.
Power to the players, after all.
Read more about video games and enjoy RTÉ's new online games here
