In response to growing rumors that Xbox is getting ready for a multiplatform future, Microsoft has announced that four first-party games that were previously exclusive to Xbox will be coming to the PlayStation 5 and Switch later this year, with more expected to follow.
The beginning of the year saw reports that Microsoft was getting ready to launch a number of first-party games on rival consoles, including Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush. However, the company didn’t comment until last week after rumors circulated that high-profile exclusives like Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would also be made available on multiple platforms. Microsoft then promised to provide further details in a podcast this week.
Xbox launching its 4 games on other consoles
Additionally, Xbox gaming CEO Phil Spencer stated that the company has “decided that we’re going to take four games to the other consoles,” according to The Verge, which was pre-briefed by Microsoft before tonight’s revelation. Spencer surprisingly says that two of the games are smaller and community-driven while omitting to provide the names of the others.
The CEO of Microsoft Gaming said in the podcast that he thinks console-exclusive video games will become less common in the next ten years. He declared,
“I do have a fundamental belief that over the next five or ten years, exclusive games, games that are exclusive to one piece of hardware, are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the game industry.”
Media rumors indicate that Microsoft may soon add more well-known games to this list, such as Starfield, even though the company has only officially announced that four exclusive games will be released on other platforms. Furthermore, the video game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which was revealed for Windows PCs and Xbox consoles last month, may make its way to other systems as well.
Speaking with Verge
In response to questions about the matter in an interview with The Verge, Spencers stated that Starfield and Indiana Jones will not be included in the first distribution. He did not, however, completely rule out the idea that upcoming games will imitate the original four. In response, Spencer said,
“We don’t have work going on on other franchises. But for anybody to stand up and say something’s never going to happen, I think it feels like creating more certainty in a world of gaming where you really want to respond to what customers want and what our players and creators are looking for.”
Xbox says the game pass will continue
Xbox affirms that it has no intentions to work with other systems and that GamePass “will continue to be only available on Xbox platforms.” Following layoffs at Microsoft Gaming, there have been many leaks regarding Xbox’s upcoming games and collaboration agreements, which coincided with the business update announcements. Rumor has claimed that “Hi-Fi Rush” (see above) will be one of the titles coming to rival systems.
Microsoft would probably have greater exposure for its video games and be able to increase income from its gaming business if Xbox titles were made available on rival gaming platforms. Therefore, Microsoft is going through an exciting period, and it will be interesting to watch how its multiplatform ambitions develop moving forward.
