Exclusive matter. The studios they bought or are building aren’t a handful. They have quality top industry experience and more than enough big teams going into next gen.
Exclusives aren’t the only thing that matters. If that was the case, Xbox would’ve started stronger this gen.
I also think your downplaying of their studios is a bit disingenuous. A longer explanation of the accomplishments and potential of what they’ve added is probably worthwhile in the other studio thread. Watch the Cory Barlog video about the God of War development. The California studios staff up at full production. It’s a heavy contractor market. Size of the studios today isn’t a limitation. God of Wars development spent a long time with a small team. The Canadian and European studios are different. That’s why they’ve grown with so quickly. Rare, Ninja Theory and Playground have doubled in size since 2017.
I was with you with the 2017 rant of if Microsoft isn’t going to compete as a platform, get out of the console business completely. Now you’re just holding a grudge for the past.