The video game industry just got some huge news! Phil Spencer confirmed that Xbox will begin porting some of its exclusives to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. This is something that fans have been speculating about for months, due to the changes that were happening within Microsoft, and the plans to become a multiplatform brand were revealed today.
Phil Spencer confirms 4 Xbox exclusives coming to PS5 and Switch
A few days ago information had leaked that Microsoft was planning to port some of its exclusives to PS5 and Nintendo Switch, including Starfield or the new Indiana Jones title. Phil Spencer came out to calm their fans, confirming that they would soon reveal more information about the future of the console. So today they released an episode of the Official Xbox Podcast on YouTube, titled: “Business Update”. In it, 3 important figures of the brand, Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty talked about numerous updates to the company’s business model, and how these will impact its future.
They began by confirming everyone’s suspicions: Yes, Xbox will go Multi-Platform. But it won’t be exactly as many thought. 4 console-exclusive video games will be ported to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, but he did not want to specify what they will be, as he prefers to be announced by the developers of each title. However, The Verge already revealed the list of the 4 games. These are: Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded. Spencer also denied rumors that Starfield and Indiana Jones and The Great Circle were also going to be ported to competing consoles, but for now they will remain exclusive to their brand.
Phil Spencer explained that they hope that these ports of their games to other consoles will make more people want to buy Xbox products, so they can extend the life expectancy of the brand. He also said that he believes that video game exclusivity will shrink over the next 5 to 10 years and, with this new announcement, we can see that he is not wrong. At the end of the day, this was a good decision that will allow more gamers to try some of the solid exclusives belonging to Microsoft, such as Hi-Fi Rush or Sea of Thieves.
Another announcement that took place on the Official Xbox Podcast was that Diablo IV will be the first Activision Blizzard game to arrive on Game Pass, starting March 28. Since the recent acquisition of that company by Microsoft many fans were waiting for one of their titles to be added to the service, so this is very good news for all of them.
Phil Spencer also commented on all the layoffs in the video game industry in recent months, including those that occurred within Microsoft. He said that, despite all the good games that were released in 2023, the industry failed to grow and is in an unhealthy state. In fact, this is what motivated them to go Multiplatform, stating that the Xbox brand will be able to grow if they can find new players to try their products.
Finally, they reminded the audience that 10 Xbox Series X/S exclusive games will be released this year, including Hellblade 2 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, so it looks like a solid year ahead for the console. These announcements that took place on the podcast took the community by surprise, but at the end of the day, it seems that the decision to go Multi-Platform is something that will end up impacting the Xbox brand in a positive way. Either way, gamers are the ones who stand to gain.
What do you think, do you think it’s a good decision for Xbox to port its exclusives to PS5 and Switch?
