Microsoft Set to Provide Insight into ‘Future of Xbox’ Next Week Amid Speculation of First-Party Games Going Multi-Platform
A recent report suggests that Microsoft is poised to unveil its strategy of releasing Xbox exclusive titles on PS5 and Nintendo Switch during the upcoming event next week.
A day after reports of multiple Microsoft first-party titles possibly making their way to rival platforms, the company said early Tuesday that it would host a business update event next week, detailing the “future of Xbox.” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer posted the announcement on X (formerly Twitter), promising more details to the Xbox community. While the Xbox chief did not confirm the agenda of the event, Microsoft reportedly will reveal its plan to bring its exclusive titles, said to include Hi-Fi Rush and others, to rival platforms from Sony and Nintendo next week.
Players on Microsoft’s console were left puzzled by multiple reports Monday claiming that several first-party games, previously released as Xbox and PC exclusives, would launch on PS5 and Nintendo Switch. Among the titles mentioned, triple-A releases from Microsoft-owned Bethesda like Starfield and the upcoming Indiana Jones game would reportedly be coming to PS5. Recent weeks have also seen rumours of other first-party titles like Tango Gameworks’ rhythm-based action title Hi-Fi Rush and Rare’s action-adventure title Sea of Thieves going multi-platform.
“We’re listening and we hear you,” Spencer said in his X post Tuesday. “We’ve been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox. Stay tuned.” Spencer did not provide any details for the planned event, but a report from The Verge said that Microsoft intended to share its plans to launch Xbox exclusives on rival consoles.
We're listening and we hear you. We've been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox. Stay tuned.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 5, 2024
The report indicated that Microsoft had initially planned the business update event for later in February, coinciding with the launch of Hi-Fi Rush on PS5 and Nintendo Switch. Earlier this month, datamined game assets from Hi-Fi Rush had leaked, suggesting an impending multi-platform release. XboxEra suggested that the game might debut on Sony and Nintendo consoles in the first quarter of 2024.
Furthermore, a report from The Verge on Monday suggested that Microsoft was contemplating launching the recently announced Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PS5, fueling speculation that several first-party games could become available on PS5 and Nintendo Switch. Despite these rumors and leaks causing concern among the Xbox community and creating an air of uncertainty around the platform’s future, Microsoft has not officially confirmed this significant shift in strategy.
The Xbox parent is expected to clarify its stance on which games might go multi-platform and which will remain exclusive to its platform at the event next week. While XboxEra reported on Monday that Starfield, Microsoft’s highly anticipated first-party release, could be launched on PS5, it’s reasonable to assume that legacy franchises such as Halo and Gears of War, which are emblematic of the Xbox identity, will remain exclusives on the platform. Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that some first-party Microsoft titles have previously been released on rival consoles. For instance, Ori and the Blind Forest and its sequel Ori and the Will of the Wisps, both published by Xbox Game Studios, were initially timed exclusives on Windows PC and Xbox consoles before eventually making their way to the Switch.
