After weeks of rumors regarding Xbox games’ exclusivity and whether or not big-budget titles like Bethesda’s Starfield or the upcoming Indiana Jones and The Great Circle would end up on other consoles, we’ve got some clarification. The February 15 special edition of the Official Xbox Podcast saw Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer, head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty, and Xbox president Sarah Bond sit down to iron-out some details and set the record straight.
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Spencer wasted no time getting into the “exclusivity question,” telling moderator Tina Amini that the team “made the decision to take four games to the other consoles.” He emphasized that it’s “just four games. Not a change to our fundamental exclusive strategy.” Spencer declined to name the four titles, saying that “the teams building those games have announce plans that are not too far away” and he “doesn’t want to take anything away from those teams.”
He did, however, confirm that neither the space-faring RPG Starfield (which debuted in 2022), nor MachineGames’ upcoming Indiana Jones are included in the list of the four soon-to-be-not-exclusive titles. Spencer cites that the decision to open up these titles to other platforms was made with the “long-term health of Xbox in mind,” which includes “reaching as many players as [they] can.”
The Verge reports that, based on knowledge from sources “familiar with Microsoft’s plans” that the four titles will be: Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded. Kotaku cannot confirm this, but it would certainly make sense: Hi-Fi Rush surprise-launched on Game Pass last year and was a huge success, while both Sea of Thieves and Grounded have vibrant multipalyer communities. And, of course, people really liked Pentiment, so why not spread the love?
It’s unclear if the confirmation that Starfield and Indiana Jones won’t go to PlayStation quelled the concerns of the, erm, vibrant Xbox fan base, but I guess time will tell.
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