Even though the Console Wars launched with an entirely narrative arc, I most often use the series as a way of tackling console industry news. As a result of going back to a narrative run this past week, I’ve noticed a bit of confusion regarding what news story I must be referring to involving Sony “giving up.”

As I mentioned, there is no relevant news story. Rather, I wanted to explore a different aspect of the “console rivalry”, which is what happens when someone decides to switch sides. The soldiers in this fictional war are the consoles, but at the same time they also need to represent the reactions, desires and emotions of gamers in order to be more than soulless soldiers. It’s why I made them bleed, instead of being strictly machinery.

Occasionally, some people decide the grass is greener on the other side, and trade in their console for a different one. Because they don’t like the management of their current console’s ecosystem, or they’re drawn more to a competing platform’s exclusives, or their friends are on the other side, or any number of other reasons. And likewise, sometimes a soldier disagrees with the ideals of the army he’s fighting for, especially if drafted and not volunteered. I wanted to see what that might look like in the context of our Console War.

So there you have it. Sometimes this series will be direct commentary on news, and sometimes it will be more freeform narration within the fiction that allows me the opportunity to world-build or explore more nuanced aspects of console ownership and market competition.