Recently, the games industry has been shaken by news that could change the dynamic between console giants Xbox and PlayStation. A number of recent leaks suggested that Microsoft may be planning to put aside exclusivity and bring its catalog of titles like Halo to rival platforms…even to the PS5 This fans of this rumour flame were stoked even further by a recent GameStop ad that referred to Game Pass as “Microsoft Game Pass” The internet was so aflame, Xbox head Phil Spencer had to break his silence and reveal a “business update event” coming on an undisclosed day the week of February 12 that should debunk (or perhaps confirm) the rumours. Either you are excited about the prospect of playing more Xbox titles on any platform you want, or you are lamenting the end of an era for Team Green. Although it seems like most die-hard Xbox fans are decidedly not OK at the moment.
With so many leaks happening in the past days and weeks, it’s hard to know which Xbox games could lose their exclusivity status and end up on PlayStation consoles and/or the Nintendo Switch. Here’s a roundup of all the rumours, leaks, and reports for every game in one place. Take a look.
Hi-Fi Rush
The first rumours of an Xbox-exclusive game coming to a non-Microsoft platform were none other than Hi-Fi Rush. The rhythm action game from developer Tango Gameworks was surprise-released early last year and met with widespread acclaim. In a January 5 video about 2024 predictions, podcaster and insider Nate the Hate claimed that Microsoft would be bringing “one of their more acclaimed first-party releases to a competitor system.” On a ResetEra thread discussing the video, another insider with a history of corroborating leaks and rumours responded to a user predicting Hi-Fi Rush would be coming to Switch, saying they’d “win” that bet. Datamined assets were also found that suggest the game will be coming to Switch and PS5.
Updated 2/12/2024: A new report from The Verge cites Hi-Fi Rush as one of the first two games set to appear on rival consoles, according to sources. This report comes days before Xbox will release a special episode of its official podcast that is likely to share more on exclusivity going forward.
Sea of Thieves
While many believed Nate the Hate was referring to Hi-Fi Rush, others speculated that Sea of Thieves was the game in question. Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb backed up this rumor saying,“When I first started hearing these rumors, I was like, this is probably about Sea of Thieves, because I’ve heard that it could come to Switch and PlayStation”. This was also reported by former Kotaku editor in chief Stephen Totillo on his Substack, Game File.
Starfield
At the beginning of February, a handful of reports came out alleging that other high-profile Xbox titles would be coming to other platforms in the future. One such title was Starfield, with XboxEra reporting that a PlayStation 5 port of Bethesda’s latest open-world RPG would be coming after the release of the Shattered Space DLC. That DLC is currently set to come out sometime in 2024.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
At the same time as XboxEra reported Starfield would be coming to PS5, The Verge wrote about similar reports in regards to the currently in-development Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from MachineGames. This port would come months after the Xbox and PC release, which is currently targeted for the end of 2024. However, the Verge reports that there is currently an “intense debate” going on within Microsoft over what games should be brought to rival consoles.
Gears of War
Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb added another game to the rumor list of titles potentially jumping to PS5: third-person shooter series Gears of War. On the Game Mess Mornings show for February 5, Grubb said, “Gears of War is being considered for this. Cliff Blezinski, lead designer on the first three Gears games, weighed in on the rumors, saying he has, “no opinion on it.” The last mainline title in the series was 2019’s Gears 5, but The Coalition is reportedly working on the next entry.”
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
One of the biggest Xbox exclusives of the year, Senua’s Saga, may not be an exclusive for long either. After XboxEra reported on Starfield coming to PS5, the co-founder of the site posted on Twitter that Starfield is not where plans end. “Reckon you’ll probably see Hellblade II as well,” the tweet reads.
Halo
And what of the biggest of all Xbox exclusives? Well, even Halo may soon be playable on PlayStation. There has been some talk from insiders speculating that the massively popular first-person shooter franchise could be multi-platform in the future. The flames were then fanned by a job posting for a Lead Game Systems Designer at 343 industries to work on a Halo project for “all players, on all platforms.”
Pentiment
There have been no leaks or rumors that 2022’s Pentiment is coming to other platforms—I just want it to happen and if I speak it into existence then hopefully it will come to fruition. It’s a good game and more people should play it!
Updated 2/12/2024: Somehow my plan worked. The Verge report naming Hi-Fi Rush as one of two games that will come to rival consoles first cites Pentiment as the second game. So, we might actually be playing Pentiment on Switch and PS5 soon.
What Xbox titles would you like to see on PlayStation and Switch?
Leave a Reply