Microsoft will bring 4 Xbox exclusive products to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch

4 Xbox exclusive games will appear on other consoles

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer revealed on the official Xbox podcast: 'We've decided to bring four games to other consoles.' Oddly, Microsoft refused to name these four games, but the company said that two games are community-oriented and the other two are smaller games.

Some sources predict the first two games will be Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment, followed by Sea of ​​Thieves and Grounded. Mr. Spencer stated that there are no changes to the company producing Xbox exclusives, however, at the same time, he also said that there will be fewer console exclusives across the industry in the next decade.

Microsoft will bring 4 Xbox exclusive products to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch Picture 1

Mr Spencer said on the Xbox podcast: 'I have a fundamental belief that over the next five or 10 years, exclusive games, exclusive to one hardware, will become an increasingly smaller part of the gaming industry.' .

These are just four games that the company used for testing. But there are rumors that Microsoft's ambitions for cross-platform gaming go much deeper. Starfield has been rumored to come to PS5, and Microsoft is considering launching Indiana Jones on PS5 a few months after the Xbox launch.

Spencer confirmed that Starfield and Indiana Jones are not in the first four games, but he did not rule out the possibility of these titles appearing on PS5 in the future. "I don't think our industry should rule out games moving to any other platform," Spencer said in an interview with The Verge. 'We are focusing on these 4 games to learn from experience. That creates more certainty in a world where you really want to meet what customers expect, as well as what players and creators are looking for.'

So it's not like every Xbox game will suddenly appear on rival consoles, but Microsoft is clearly looking at the potential for more to appear in the future. Mr. Spencer was asked if there will be more cross-platform games, especially if these four games are successful:

"Obviously we're one of the biggest publishers on PlayStation and Nintendo today, when you think about the Activision Blizzard and Bethesda series of games. So we know what it means to release games on Steam, PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox.

These are games that were originally launched on Xbox. They are Xbox-branded games and we want to see what happens, because bringing them to new platforms is a really difficult task."

Microsoft has also previously considered the idea of ​​bringing Gears of War, Microsoft Flight Simulator and even the next Doom game to rival platforms. Final decisions have not been made on these games, but there will definitely be more than 4 games. As this strategy develops, it's clear that there will be some interesting decisions to be made regarding the future of Xbox games and exclusivity.

So why does Microsoft need to launch exclusive Xbox games on rival platforms?

The company spoke of the need to evolve Xbox 'to ensure long-term success for both Xbox and the gaming industry as a whole'. Microsoft's gaming business has just grown larger than its Windows division thanks to the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. However, the entire Xbox business still needs to get bigger. Sales of Microsoft's Xbox Series S and Content revenue can then be a good source of growth.

Microsoft is now seizing the opportunity to take its games elsewhere, or 'Xbox Everywhere' as the company calls it internally. Director Spencer said: 'We made these decisions for a number of specific reasons. Every decision made is aimed at the long-term development of Xbox, which means that as a growing platform, Microsoft's games operate effectively, building the best platform for creators, reaching many players possible. 

We're always looking to learn as a leading and progressive team, and think it's an exciting time to use what some of the other platforms already have to help grow the franchise Microsoft commercial'.

Xbox fans' reaction will influence Microsoft's next steps. Mr Spencer admitted: 'I always take feedback from my biggest fans very seriously.' 'Today, we know when people play, their relationship to the platform is like a friend. I know there are a lot of people who think that exclusive games will drive a platform's revenue, but the industry doesn't really work that way today.'

Fans are also worried about the future of Xbox hardware, and Microsoft is introducing the next-gen console to help reassure them. 'There's some exciting upcoming hardware content that we'll be sharing this holiday season, and Xbox is also investing in the next-gen roadmap,' said Xbox President Sarah Bond. 'What we're really focused on is delivering the biggest technical leap you've ever seen in a hardware generation.'

There are even some 'other console and controller options' for Xbox fans this holiday and possibly even Xbox handhelds in the future.

At the end of the interview, Mr. Phil Spencer affirmed 'Xbox is Microsoft's gaming and content business platform. This is the number one consumer business we have.' 'It's an important business, a consumer category driven by technology and innovation.'

However, he never said that Xbox is a console, a single piece of hardware. Microsoft Gaming has grown far beyond Xbox. Now the company is starting to really show off what its Xbox Everywhere vision is. If Microsoft is successful, this could change the way the entire gaming industry looks at game creation.

Kareem Winters

Update 21 February 2024