Image: Bethesda
Microsoft is considering multiplatform releases for Xbox games like Starfield, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Microsoft is considering putting Xbox-exclusive games like Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on the PlayStation 5. According to The Verge, which cites a source with knowledge of Microsoft’s plans for Xbox Game Studios, the company is, “weighing up which titles will remain exclusive and others that will appear on Switch or PS5 in the future,” with Indiana Jones potentially getting a PS5 launch a few months after its Xbox and PC launch.
According to XboxERA, Starfield might also come to PS5 after the launch of its expansion Shattered Space later this year. This also suggests that Microsoft is considering multiplatform releases for current and future Xbox exclusive games, as Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush have also been rumoured to launch on PS5 and Nintendo Switch soon.
Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle come to PS5
Microsoft has typically kept its first-party games exclusive to Xbox consoles and PCs, but it looks like that release strategy is going to change very soon. The company is looking to launch Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Xbox and PC with a small window of exclusivity, before the game arrives on PS5, “some months later.” Although unconfirmed by publisher Bethesda, The Verge also reports that the game is targeting a December 2024 release.
Bethesda Game Studios’ own sci-fi open-world game Starfield is also being considered for a PS5 launch. The game’s first expansion Shattered Space launches sometime later this year, after which Microsoft plans to put the entire game on PS5. To accomplish this, the company is now supplying PS5 dev kits to more studios under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella, suggesting that future Xbox-exclusive games might just be a thing of the past.
While Xbox probably isn’t going the way of Sega and getting rid of Xbox consoles, the company does seem to be placing more priority on Xbox Game Pass than its own tech on the market. A recent wave of layoffs also saw Xbox’s physical games distribution get affected, which means that physical Xbox games might be out the window too.
Meanwhile, Sony is looking to adapt more of its gaming IP into live-action movies and TV shows under the PlayStation Productions banner. Nintendo is also looking to release a successor to the Switch handheld console later this year, so the industry continues to be competitive all around.