When it comes to the big 3 of the video game industry — Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony — the circle is now complete when it comes to integrations with ExTwitter. Late last year, Nintendo killed off parts of its own integration not just with then-Twitter, but with Facebook as well. But then ExTwitter abruptly announced earlier this year that free access to its API was going to be cut off, replaced instead by a tiered payment scheme depending on what level of integration the user would need. Almost immediately afterwards, Xbox cut off the ability to share content via ExTwitter.
And now Sony has removed the PlayStation’s integration with ExTwitter as well, almost certainly for the same reason. Somewhat interestingly, Sony’s DS4 controller came with a button specifically called the “share” button, which allows you to screencap images or videos to your console to then share on social media. That button seems to have gotten measurably less useful now.
Sony said it is removing support for Elon Musk’s X/Twitter from its PlayStation game consoles, effective next week. The company announced the change in a notice posted Monday on its website.
“As of November 13, 2023, integration with X (formerly known as Twitter) will no longer function on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles,” the message on Sony’s website reads. “This includes the ability to view any content published on X on PS5/PS4, and the ability to post and view content, trophies and other gameplay-related activities on X directly from PS5/PS4 (or link an X account to do so).”
As ExTwitter’s valuation sits at somewhere around half of what it was at the time Elon Musk bought the platform, a trendline of the wider world not seeing enough value in the platform to cough up what he’s asking for to use it, well, ain’t great. The entire premise of a social media company is built upon user activity and engagement. Users have begun to leave the platform, including those that may have used it in conjunction with these 3rd party integrations that are likewise going away. Advertisers are going away, in part because of the toxic hellhole that ExTwitter has become, and in part due to the declining user base and engagement of existing users.
Musk can rail against the evil woke mind virus of death and destruction, or whatever strawman farce he wants to cook up to explain why everything he does is the bestest this week, but the platform is in decline in very measurable ways.
Musk closed his $44 billion debt-laden takeover of Twitter in October 2022, after Twitter sued him to complete the deal at the agreed-on terms. The company, since rechristened X Corp., is now worth $19 billion, according to a notice sent last month to employees eligible for stock grants.
Were PlayStation gamers using the ExTwitter integration all that much? Perhaps not. But “some” is a higher value than “absolutely none, because Sony killed it off.” And when you’re bleeding money and usership, well, this is one more data point in a story of how to kill a once-useful and potentially successful platform.
