Oh what a nice relaxing Sunday…or so we thought before XboxEra published a piece stating that Microsoft plans to put Xbox console-exclusive Starfield on PlayStation 5. For a couple weeks now, rumors have been circulating about Microsoft’s intention to release some of their first party games that were either more niche or live service games that have seen their player numbers plateau (namely Hi-Fi Rush and Sea Of Thieves). These rumors boiled over to a new peak this weekend when XboxEra announced that Starfield would be launching on rival console hardware. This would not be the first time that Microsoft chose to put a game on an ecosystem outside of their own, but this would definitely be one of the highest-profile games they’ve shipped abroad.
As if that rumor wasn’t enough, shortly after The Verge announced that Microsoft was also weighing the idea of launching newly announced Xbox console-exclusive Indiana Jones and The Great Circle on Sony’s PlayStation 5 console as well. As you can imagine, fans on social media are going crazy at this point. It’s worth mentioning that these are all based on rumors and that plans can pivot behind the scenes, but it does seem like Microsoft’s software and services-first approach is beginning to bleed over more-and-more into the Xbox division (for better or for worse). Xbox has not shied away from marketing the ideas of player-choice and “when everybody plays, we all win,” and if rumors are to be believed, we could be drawing closer-and-closer to seeing the next evolution of those ideals.
With all this being said, a move like this would be bold and risky mainly for the Xbox console itself, but also for the gaming industry as a whole. Less players on Xbox consoles could lead to less third party support which could lead to more players shifting away from Xbox consoles and in-turn potentially giving PlayStation a strangle-hold in the console market. Competition is a good thing for any industry and lessening it could be detrimental.
All eyes and ears will be on Microsoft Gaming’s CEO Phil Spencer when he is set to share more details about Microsoft’s vision for the future of Xbox at a “business update event” next week. In the meantime, check out a detailed, threaded breakdown of some of our thoughts surrounding the potential publishing shift here.
Image from: Xbox
