Starfield and Several Other Xbox-Exclusives Reportedly Coming to PS5
Microsoft is reportedly planning to release Starfield and other Xbox-exclusives on PlayStation 5 as part of a new initiative.
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| Starfield and Several Other Xbox-Exclusives Reportedly Coming to PS5 |
Amidst their long-running Activision/Blizzard acquisition battle against Sony last year, Microsoft had a fairly good run going with release of their biggest first-party title Starfield and many other cross-platform launches for Xbox community.
Soon as we stepped into a new year, rumors started swirling last month that Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves are going multi-platform soon. Another new report suggests Microsoft plans to bring Starfield for PlayStation 5 and other consoles.
According to recent report on XboxEra news site, long-awaited Bethesda space RPG is currently being planned to launch on Sony consoles alongside previously rumored ports of Hi-Fi Rush and Rare's pirate co-op game Sea of Thieves soon.
Sources claim that Starfield may launch on PS5 following planned release of its Shattered Space expansion for PC and Xbox later this year. Bethesda's upcoming Indiana Jones title could also be another first-party Xbox-exclusive hitting PS5.
Bethesda is reportedly considering releasing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PlayStation 5 after its official announcement last month. It would probably launch for PC and as Xbox console exclusive before heading to PS5 months later.
Microsoft is seemingly considering a new multi-platform approach for certain Xbox games while trying to decide which titles will remain exclusive and others that will debut on Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 5 at a later date or near future.
This move will represent a major shift in Microsoft's gaming strategy since they used to keep all of their biggest games exclusive to Xbox, apart from those which were already on multiplatform before they joined Xbox, much like Minecraft.
Given that PlayStation 5 is reportedly outselling Xbox Series X/S consoles so far, company execs may have decided that potential software sales across Sony console can no longer be ignored as they already releases first-party games on PC.
Senior leadership at Microsoft have been debating variety of pros and cons of releasing more of their exclusives elsewhere. Although not everyone is happy with this decision, recouping money left on the table rationale has debatably won.
Phil Spencer, head of gaming at Xbox previously said that game exclusivity is decided on a 'case- by-case basis' but his private conversations suggest that all future Bethesda games are exclusive going forward, according to 2023 FTC lawsuit.
However, recent evidence imply that Xbox could soften their approach in terms of exclusivity as rumors of Tango Gameworks' rhythm game Hi-Fi Rush and Rare Studio's pirate simulator Sea of Thieves ports came out back in January 2024.
Xbox will probably delay release of their first-party exclusives for PlayStation, which is similar to Sony's current strategy for PC. Regardless of these changes, Microsoft will still prioritize console and Xbox Game Pass launch before any ports.
