Phil Spencer’s “case-by-case review” at that Xbox presentation left the door open in a strange position for Microsoft’s games division. In a way, it implied that the four titles confirmed as multiplatform at the time would be expanded, very gradually, to all other platforms. But the situation has evolved over the months, and now the goal seems to be “Xbox first, others second”. We’ve seen it with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, coming to PS5 in the spring, and it looks like it will be the dominant trend by 2025.
This is also the understanding of Windows Central’s usually reliable journalist Jez Corden, talking about the manifest end of Xbox first-party exclusivity.
“If some games are exclusive, it will be incidental at best; the ‘case-by-case’ storyline will generally be cross-platform, timed and with perhaps a few (very few) outliers”.
One notable example for 2025 is Fable, a Microsoft console landmark, which, while not officially confirmed, Corden is sure will be coming to Sony consoles as well. “[Fable] has been monstrously expensive. It may not be day one, but it’s coming with the current plan, in my opinion.”
Although the journalist doesn’t mention it, perhaps a good way to increase the benefits of this strategy would be to review the recent catalogue and have games like Starfield coming to PS5 as well. VGC recalled the recent interview with Matt Booty in which he stated that “the spacing decision comes first. We want to make sure there’s a great experience for our Xbox players, and then the spacing between [when it will be available on PlayStation] is as much a production decision as anything else”.
What do you think of Xbox’s new plan?