Over the past few weeks, the rumour mill has been churning out that Microsoft is going to take Xbox-exclusive games to other consoles. Phil Spencer, the Head of Xbox, tweeted out that the brand would shed some light on what’s happening. And now, that moment has come.
Phil Spencer will make an appearance on the Official Xbox Podcast on 15 February at 8pm GMT/3pm ET/12pm PT. You can stream it live on YouTube or on your favourite podcast app. He’ll be joined by Sarah Bond, the President of Xbox, and Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios. The trio will share details that finally give the what’s what to these rumours, and the future of Xbox gaming.
With the official explanation a few days away, here’s everything that we know so far.
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Could Xbox-exclusive games really be going cross-platform?
The rapidly evolving saga began after a report, corroborated by data-mined information, found that the Xbox exclusive Hi-Fi Rush is coming to PS5 and Nintendo Switch consoles. Subsequent leaks have pointed to upcoming titles such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is being considered for PS5. From there, gamers wondered whether huge Microsoft IPs such as Gears of War and Starfield would make the cross-platform jump, too.
With Microsoft then confirming that it would hold an event in the coming weeks to address the rumours, fans thought something was up. And there’s going to be some sort of announcement, it would appear. The aforementioned event is taking place on 15 February. It’s unlikely (though not altogether impossible) that Microsoft is going to use this event time to put the rumours to bed and say that it’s not true. So what might the announcement look like?
Perhaps it’s selected titles that are going cross-platform, such as Hi-Fi Rush, and the other leaked games. Or perhaps Microsoft is making its entire exclusive catalogue available on other platforms, as some fans expect. While things are still unclear, there are a few different routes that Microsoft could take.
What does this mean?
Lots of fans aren’t happy about this. They’re expressing anger over changes to a product that they’ve bought. If you buy a console for a particular title, and that title then moves to another platform, you’re going to be irked about it. Others see this as an identity crisis for Xbox, struggling against the PS5 and Switch. We’ve even mused that the Xbox would be pointless without exclusive titles.
So it’s a little uncertain about what this means. Some fans went as far as to speculate the move means Microsoft wants to exit the console game and end the Xbox. But Spencer reportedly told employees internally that this isn’t true. So Microsoft wants to keep Xbox alive, that we know. But if it gives away all of its exclusive titles, the future of the Xbox might not be Microsoft’s call.
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