Summary
Xboxhead Phil Spencer confirmed in an interview with IGN that more exclusives will launch on rival platforms like PS5 and Nintendo Switch in the future.
As reported byThe Verge, Xbox’s strategy has radically shifted over the past year. Games such asHi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves launched on competing hardware, and a report from May claimed thateverything, including long-standing flagships like Halo and Gears of War, is on the table. Microsoft is evidently moving away from the idea of exclusives.
Doom: The Dark Ages,announced last night, is launching on PlayStation 5.
Phil Spencer Originally Said That Xbox Wasn’t Changing Its Strategy
After announcing that Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush, and Pentiment were going to launch on rival platforms–amidst a storm of controversy surrounding since debunked reports thatStarfieldwould land on Sony’s platform in the near future–Spencer clarified that Xbox would not be changing its approach to exclusives.
However, withDoom: The Dark Ageslaunching on PS5 and talks of more games coming to more platforms, it certainly looks like Xbox is moving away from first-party tradition.
“We made a decision that we’re going to take four games to the other consoles, just four games,” Spencer originally said in an official Xbox podcast. “Not a change to our fundamental exclusive strategy.”
There’s no word on whether Gears of War: E-Day,a prequel announced last night, will launch on PS5, so it will likely be handled on a case-by-case basis rather than through any sweeping changes. Maybe there’s hope yet for The Elder Scrolls 6 on PlayStation, eh?
Xbox Series X
Launched in 2020 in conjunction with the Xbox Series S digital-only console, the Series X is the disc version of Microsoft’s premier gaming platform.
