Rumours Resurface About Xbox Shadow Drop 'Hi-Fi RUSH' Releasing On More Platforms

With how great the game is, I'd feel obligated to buy it on switch if it comes.

I fully expect it to happen and very soon. I still maintain that it will only be these smaller titles and live service games.

Pentiment, Hellblade 2 (after a year or two of exclusivity), state of decay 2, grounded, etc are all probably candidates. Hellblade is probably least likely in this list but it is a short, budget title that likely won't have a ton of traction.

Maybe it'll be at the rumoured Nintendo direct that the leakers are talking about.

Microsofts strategy seems to be working with 200 million active users compared to PlayStation's last update in December 2023 of 123 million active users. The Xbox console is but a drop in that pool.
I don't see Xbox hardware going away anytime soon & with Sony CEO hinting that they'll be following a similar strategy in the future. Exciting times.

@BacklogBrad I agree with you about smaller titles and live service games, but I'm not sure about Hellblade 2. I think they will keep it as an exclusive, mainly for two reasons:

• There are a lot of rumors about this game, it could be considered a flagship title for this generation of Xbox.
• Taking into account that this is the second chapter in the serie, I think most players on other consoles are more interested in starting from the first game.

@Phantasystar77 if Sea of Thieves goes third party then it's no different than Minecraft & COD to be fair. We haven't had much evidence other than insiders saying its coming though. As for Hi Fi Rush. It's like Ori & other smaller 2nd party titles that have been allowed to release outside of Xbox. It's nothing new as look at No Man Sky. It was published by Sony.

Reading the comments it is strange times for the gaming industry. I get the worry with this as exclusives have always sold consoles in the past.

Historically from the days of the NES to today that’s the way it has always been and that’s just the way it is. Moving away from this model has never really been done before and it’s unknown if this will damage the brand or devalue it in the eyes of the consumer.

Personally I buy Xbox for halo etc. If I could get halo, forza etc on PS5 I would not have an Xbox. As I could have all the PS games and my Xbox games running on the one console and just 1 console under my TV. I’m sure I’m not the only one who would do this, therefore it could seriously damage them depending to what extent and how far they go with releases. IMO if game pass and everything goes on Nintendo and Sony there’s no point in owning Xbox hardware and in my mind they become a 3rd party.

The other thing to consider is the current development/turnaround time for game development. It’s becoming too long and this is also having massive financial implications for these companies. That gaps between games in a franchise has grown massively in the last 10 years. Developers are spending more, taking less creative risks, relying on micro transactions/season passes and 1 bad game can close them. This also can’t continue as it will crash the industry so Microsoft’s idea to release games multi platform may help lessen this for their development teams and it therefore may be a good thing.

Either way it’s interesting as Sony and Nintendo are sticking to the traditional distribution method of exclusives remaining on their platform.

So your telling me i bought a xbox to get less games than any other platforms ? Even what should be an exclusive?

I have to put my xbox series X on sale im not using it anyway (gaming more on laptop)

I take issue with this not because I don't want people playing Xbox games elsewhere but because as a customer and someone that invested in Microsoft's product over the competition I should be made aware that I can play these games elsewhere because if that is the case then I would have gotten a PS5 and had the best of both worlds.

If Disney+ started putting their content onto Netflix then why would I keep my subscription to Disney+ ?

My loyalty as a customer and the fact that I've chosen your product should be rewarded with exclusive content, anybody saying otherwise is in denial or delusional.

@Phantasystar77 Sony CEO also hinted there gonna follow Microsoft down the third party route. There first party games have started to come on PC day & date with Helldivers 2. Cloud & Mobile are also next. Xbox also gets continued Destiny 2 support, MLB 2024 later this year & Marathon possibly next year.

The Insomniac leak hinted that Spiderman 3 will launch on PC day & date. Some insiders have reported that Wolverine could be on PC day & date next year. Untill Dawn remake will be on PC day & date later this year.

I don't care if they put it on ps or not ,but come on because of the colour of in-game t shirts ? Of course tom Warren thinks so he wants the clicks

More people having access to great games is a net positive. Can't really be argued with. You lose nothing as an Xbox gamer if the game releases on another platform.

I got an Xbox to go alongside my PS5 and Switch. If you have the option/ability to not lock yourself to one system you should take it.

At the end of the day Microsoft is a software business. They lose on loss making console sales and gain extra money from PC players, mobile games and their % cut from Sony and Nintendo. It is a business model that has netted them Trillions of dollars over the last few decades.

@DKGXX85 @Phantasystar77 Totally agree with you guys. I more a Sony guy but I don’t understand why both Sony and Microsoft are going the third party route. Every generation they seem to force me more and more going the pc route. (On the topic of Sony: see Horizon FW complete edition… I bought the game at launch but PC masterrace gets the DLC and base game for less than I bought it…)

It’s Hi-Fi Rush, not Halo or God of War. I don’t get the overreaction. It’s a smaller game that you most likely have already played (and I won’t be surprised if some of the complainers haven’t) and it looks like a perfect candidate to be multi-plat. With Xbox buying publishers, it was inevitable for them to release multi-plat games. At least we got it “free”.

@Kaloudz just to make it clear I was speaking purely from a customers perspective not an Xbox fan, to be fair I've only been an Xbox fan since the Xbox one and would have no problem playing Xbox games on other platforms......just let me know is all I'm saying.

But if this is indeed true then are we gonna say down the line, "well it's only starfield, it's only hellblade 2" which are 2 games I specifically purchased a series X for, do you see what saying?

You let me know when smaller Sony games like retunal come to xbox

@Kaloudz so then the platform has no value?

We can dance around this but everything needs a reason to be owned unless it's free. I personally don't see what purpose bringing a niche title like hi-fi rush serves other than alienating you core audience, I highly doubt this make much money. forget consoles even for gamepass. Like CM punk said "the grass is greener where you water it" and to me it just feels like that mate you play monopoly with that buys all the property early on then ends up the first one losing.

Your platform or service or whatever needs exclusive content to give it value, why is it only Microsoft that can't seem to get their heads around this, there is no chance you will ever see last of us or god of war on Xbox, never gonna happen in the same way you will never see a netflix movie on Disney+

This is first-party game and not the usual third-party exclusives that later will find their way to other platforms. This is also one of the best games last year, it's too much of a value to bring to other platforms imo.

Funny, platform with least games also is the platform who bleeds games the most to other platforms and still occasionally keep being skipped to this day. But whatever, just a pill of bitter truth Xbox fans had to swallow on monthly basis.

@Phantasystar77 I disagree that it will destroy the xbox console or make the average gamer think every game is going multi Plat. Literally no one expected all games to go to switch when ori, cuphead, minecraft legends,etc were released there.

People like to assume the "average gamer" is some mindless zombie that can't tell the difference between an xbox one x and xbox series x. They will be able to tell that it is only small titles going to other consoles.

With games like hi fi rush, call of duty, sea of thieves presumably selling well on ps5, xbox will have more money to allocate back into xbox and gamepass making the console more appealing.

Several people have touched on this but it is good for people to have access to more games, and short term Xbox will probably make a decent amount of money.

But also touched on by several people, long term it’s not good for the brand. I’d be more concerned if third party publishers see this as a reason to start supporting Xbox less, since they are also not clear what Xbox’s end game is.

@Phantasystar77 xbox has addressed this stance numerous times. Their stance is it will be a case by case basis.

It will not damage the xbox brand to put small select titles on playstation or switch. It is not realistic to assume people will think starfield is going to playstation because a small side project and sea of thieves went there. Average gamers are smart enough to see the difference between starfield/Indiana jones/gears and the ori/hi fi rush/cuphead.

@Phantasystar77 its funny that we are even discussing the average gamer. There are over 30 million gamepass subscribers that have access to Hi Fi Rush at no additional cost yet the most recent player count for Hi Fi Rush is 3M (includes sales on xbox and PC). It's a funny idea that people who couldn't even be bothered to boot up this game once would abandon the console and buy a $500 PS5 over it being available there. Just like there was no mixed perception over the Switch ports or Minecraft spinoffs on playstation, there won't be any over Hi Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves.

The only perception will be that small, well-received titles or live service games might get ported to other consoles at some point. Nothing else.

Dammit Microsoft!!!

I was planning to undertake a boasting spree on gaming sites about how proud I am, and how giddy and warm I feel inside when people that don't own an Xbox or gaming PC, can't play the games I do.
Just want to Lord it over others how great my console of choice is, how many exclusives it has, and releasing game on rival platforms its a horrible idea..
This is outrageous, I'm taking a sledgehammer to my Series X. Enough is enough 😅😉😅

I’m not convinced that getting one year of early access to Microsoft games via a Game Pass subscription is a compelling enough selling point to sustain an entire console platform. Sony won’t reciprocate; wake me up when their equivalent ‘small’ games like Kena: Bridge of Spirits get on Xbox.

With porting to Nintendo I can see the logic there, they’ve created their own distinct market - it’s just how Sony feels safe in porting some of their games to PC after a two year delay. PlayStation isn’t a distinct market though, it’s the direct competitor for living room gaming. That’s why we’ll never see the likes of Stellar Blade, for example, on Xbox.

My worry is that this move can only serve to slow the sales momentum of Xbox consoles further. Declining Xbox sales disincentivises 3rd party publishers from publishing on Xbox, or when they do Xbox gets the short end of the stick for QA. All ends up being a negative feedback loop.

Playing on Xbox is much more than certain games being available on other platforms. As others have pointed out, Sony is doing exactly the same. So far, Xbox means better hardware, better services and free and enhanced backwards compatibility. These reasons are much more important than some games being made multiplatform. If you can play Sony's games on PC, what's the difference? Sony doesn't have backwards compatibility (except PS4) and the hardware is not as excellently built. I say this because I don't understand why wouldn't it work both ways and why does it mean the end of Xbox? Xbox has the most successful subscription and the highest number of active users.

The only company that hasn't changed is Nintendo, but they've tried mobile before and who knows what they'll do after Switch, if Switch 2 is more Wii U than Switch. Would you also say that they will disappear?

I believe that there will be Nintendo, Xbox and PS consoles as long as there is a profitable console market, but next generation you won't buy a PS for exclusivity like in the past, but for loyalty (the PS crowd) or just brand power (casual gamers).

@Phantasystar77 I agree with you 100%

And some people just won't see it, a platform, an ecosystem, whatever you wanna call it needs exclusive content in order to give it value and to be enticing. It's sad because I genuinely am not a fan of "new" Sony and prefer what Xbox is doing but at the end of the day, Xbox gonna xbox

@Banjo-

Great post mate. The points you made about Xbox are precisely the reason why I'm not worried, or give the time of day to this sort of news even if they come to pass. Hence why sometimes I make jesting posts about XGS games on rival platforms and the predictable drama that ensues.😁
Xbox will always be my primary console for as long as Microsoft makes them.

@Sol4ris Thank you, buddy.

@Phantasystar77 the 30+ million already have gamepass so it is no additional cost to check out hi fi rush and they didnt. That's not a dig at the game, it's just not a system seller. It is not really serving any purpose for xbox by being locked on xbox/pc when switch and ps5 are right there.

Why is the perception so much better for Sony? They are releasing helldivers 2 day 1 on pc and are porting some AAA games to mobile phones. Playstation would be dumb to not be looking at the switch and xbox for small, well-received games like Returnal, sackboy, etc.

I'd be more upset about Sea of Thieves going multiplat than Hi-Fi Rush, honestly, as I personally consider Sea of Thieves a pillar of Game Pass. Though Sea of Thieves on Switch with crossplay does have some appeal, I'll admit, since then me and my bff could play together. But I doubt it would ever run well on Nintendo's carboard online infrastructure.

I've got a lot of different thoughts and feelings on this matter, but the simplest way I know how to explain it is this: I'm okay with CERTAIN Xbox first-party games going to other consoles so long as the following criteria are met:

1. It needs to be a smaller game, NOT a AAA cornerstone like Halo, Gears, Forza, Starfield, etc. I suppose whether or not Sea of Thieves counts a cornerstone is debatable. I personally consider it one.

2. The other console, be it PS or Nintendo, needs to release one of their first-party games on Xbox in return. Something of equal size, value, and scope. Equivalent exchange.

Xbox didn't treat this game the way it deserved to be treated. It's an amazing game that should have received way more love. Hopefully it will get the bigger audience needed for a sequel to be made.

So much boo hoo in the comments. We had the game exclusive for a year. The more money the game makes the better.

@Phantasystar77 as opposed to what outlet? I don’t like CNN or MSNBC but let’s not pretend Fox News is the quality news source.

Who ever makes a physical version of Hi-Fi rush gets my money

@old-dad knowing Microsoft they'll probably do a collectors edition with a steelbook, art book, statue and soundtrack exclusively for playstation 4&5

@TheRealPaperKut free ? You mean you rented it for a monthly fee

It depends if Microsoft allows it. Here's the funny part, everyone (including Sony) raves about Playstation's console sales and how they think they're number one. But reality is that Microsoft is #1. They are currently worth three trillion dollars. So, to have the power and confidence to say "maybe we will allow one of our games to be on other platforms" can only be done from a company that has unbelievable confidence in their product. And being worth three trillion doesn't hurt either.

I have a Switch but I won't play this there since I already beat it on Xbox. I guess MS wants to expand their audience and that's one way to do it, put certain exclusives on other consoles.

@BacklogBrad Releasing live service and smaller titles on other systems is something both Sony and MS should really consider. Sure keep Indy on Xbox and Spider-Man 2 on PS5 but put Sea of Thieves on PS and Helldivers 2 on Xbox. Would help with player numbers and help promote smaller games that aren't big expensive AAA games.

@Romans12 MS is worth 3 Trillion but Xbox ain't and the Xbox side of MS doesn't have access to 3 Trillion. You don't understand how this works do you? You know it could be said they're porting games because Xbox isn't making enough on its own and considering how much MS downgraded Gamepass Ultimate this past year i'm inclined to believe it.

@DennisReynolds yeah sony might be in for a rude awakening if their live service games are restricted to ps5 and pc. They might be popular at launch but I doubt they will be able to carry an audience very long.

As naughty dog found out, they have to support these games for years and the studio doesn't get to work on much else. That will be a lot of time, effort, and money that will be wasted if there isnt an audience.

@DKGXX85. Yeah that would be the most xbox thing ever lol

I hope MS does not leave the console space. I don't want to be forced to play next gen games on that antiquated Playstation controller among other things.

@Mephisto2869 that’s why I put free in quotes

@fizban3332 Antiquated controller? You do understand Microsoft is still playing catch up with Sony's controllers from the PS3 and is still currently lacking features every other platform, including PC, has had since 2006, yes?

I may not be a fan of the symmetrical sticks Sony used, but to call it antiquated is just plain goofy.

I am astounded that people have convinced themselves that Sony putting games on PC after a time is the same as Xbox putting first party games on PS and Nintendo. Are we that desperate to hang on to Xbox?

@Kaloudz Surely you don’t believe that. It’s not close to being the same. The PC space is not their direct competitor, Sony is.

@Banjo- I can't agree with it. PlayStation have better exclusive games, better hardware (more stable fps in multiplaform games) and the best standart gamepad. Backwards compatibility? Only partially. You can play only half of Xbox 360 games and can't play any Kinect games. And backward compatibility with Xbox Original is just pure joke. We can talk here about few ports only. Better services? It's just the same on Xbox or PS. Only games different. And there is PS won again because of games. But it doesn't matter for me anyway, cause I didn't use any subscription (GamePass, PS+ or Nintendo Online).

>I say this because I don't understand why wouldn't it work both ways and why does it mean the end of Xbox? Xbox has the most successful subscription and the highest number of active users.

It's simple. Because PC or Cloud players isn't Xbox players. Xbox is a home video game console, not a multiplatform subscription service. That's why it close to it's end as a console.

>and who knows what they'll do after Switch, if Switch 2 is more Wii U than Switch.

Switch 2 can't be more Wii U than Switch if it's still a hybrid console. And it'll be more successfull then Xbox for sure. Nintendo took a whole portable console market.

>but next generation you won't buy a PS for exclusivity like in the past, but for loyalty (the PS crowd) or just brand power (casual gamers).

Nope. Because there is many PS only exclusives like Bloodborne, Gravity Rush 1 and 2, Medievil, Sakura Wars, Ghost of Tsushima, Demon Souls, Final Fantasy XVI, Spider-Man 2 and etc. I got PS5 as my main platform because of great exclusive games (Final Fantasy XVI and Spider-Man 2). And I'll buy PS6 because of same reason.

It's my second Xbox-free generation (with PS. Nintendo and PC). And I skipped nothing because I can get any modern Xbox game on STEAM. It's not a Microsoft service.

@AnVold You love Sony and you hate Xbox, we get It, we get it, but why are you here, then? I don't understand.

P.S. Congratulations on being the first person outside Nintendo to have had their hands on their future hardware. Maybe you can sell the information to Sony or Microsoft.

@Widey85 personally i really don't want this to be true. Ngl it would be f*cking sucks.

Starfield is going to PS5!! Is the news on the internet

Xbox era posted

@Widey85 yes I read starfield and Indy are being considered in this too…?

Just read about Starfield coming to PS5, if true it makes Phil Spencer and Xbox one of the biggest lying hypocrites ever. Considering just how many times he and Xbox claimed it was NOT coming to other platforms.

@Widey85 "According to PushSquare" You know people will stop reading right there, right? That sentence is like some kind of intrinsic nonsense 🤣. Jez Corden also posted about it on Windows Central. It's a bit catastrophic but occasionally objective, considering different consequences and opinions about it, like how it can benefit Xbox Game Studios development and how can some of the Xbox players be disappointed. The part about Microsoft ending Xbox hardware and ecosystem makes zero sense, but yes, it's possible that some Xbox games are ported to other consoles, although let's not forget this is just a rumour. We have to wait and see, but we've seen this before with other games.

If anyone wants to read it:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/other/xbox-is-reportedly-going-to-release-starfield-on-playstation-5-is-the-death-of-xbox-exclusive-games-nigh/ar-BB1hLWAR?PC=EMMX01

But Phil saved Xbox ?

@Widey85
Microsoft is apparently concerned Xboxes weren't selling over the holidays, but it's like ya, no kidding. For 10 yrs now Xbox has failed to deliver a consistently compelling lineup. That's what happens. Nobody's gonna buy your console if you don't have the games. No matter how deep you discount it.

They just don't seem to understand that. Now, they FINALLY have the capacity to genuinely compete, and that's when they decide to throw in the towel? Makes no sense to me. The move was locking everything down, and making Xbox a must own console. Stop with day 1 Steam releases (as much as I'd hate that since I'm a Switch + Steamdeck only gamer now, haven't played my PS5 or XSX or gaming PC in years), stop exporting exclusives. One game isn't gonna turn around a 10 year drought. Gamers need to see consistency. Multiple years back to back to back.

It's why Nintendo during the Wii U era, despite its abysmal failure, continued to deliver insanely high quality exclusives for years. Consumer confidence is everything. They needed to show everyone that no matter what, if you buy a Nintendo console, they won't abandon it. You're getting A+ games all generation, even if no one else shows up.

That's what Xbox needed to do. Now they have the studios. Had they just pumped out quality exclusive after quality exclusive, to build consumer confidence, when Xbox 5 released, ppl would buy it. Cause they'd know Xbox has the games now. Management seems to think oh, 10 year drought, Starfield should have skyrocketed sales and righted the ship... no. One game cannot pull such weight.

It's a shame because Sony will have free reign, and I remember their $10 online passes for Vita games, their $100 32gb proprietary memory cards with 50% failure rate, their $600 PS3, abandoning Vita, PSVR and now PSVR2 within 2 yrs when they don't take off with success.

This would benefit me, as it will mean Nintendo becomes more important than ever as a platform to earn revenue on. PS and PC alone aren't enough. Switch 2 should be able to run any game, and with Switch success, it's already looking like most 3rd party games will come to Switch 2 once devs know the games can run. All the more when losing one of the big platforms for revenue.

But I don't want that. I want Xbox to compete. Neither Sony nor MS can be given free reign. It's not gonna end well for us gamers.

I immediately started buying PS exclusives on Steam as soon as Sony started porting to PC, as I do for Xbox exclusives. Having both on Steamdeck OLED with gyro aiming is my preferred way of playing, as opposed to tv only with dual sticks to aim without mouse precision offered by gyro.

But many still buy PS despite their games on Steam. As many still buy Xbox despite their games on Steam. Cause not everyone values portable play with gyro like me. I imagine the same will be true with Xbox to some degree. It's still the cheapest ticket to Gamepass Sub, and the BC catalog smokes that of PS which relies on streaming for PS3 games. Whereas Xbox has Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy, Lost Odyssey, Portal, etc etc. And while this won't matter to most, XIM Nexus controller provides gyro aiming for any game on Xbox Series but isn't compatible with PS5 (only PS4) due to them locking out 3rd party controllers. So Xbox is only place I can play certain games. Call of Duty doesn't allow simultaneous mouse and controller on Steam so no gyro. But on Xbox? I can play all the campaigns with gyro. That alone is why I'll never sell my XSX, even if I only use it on rare occasion.

Xbox consoles lose their meaning. It's very sad to see this for a fan

@AnVold I only need to read the beginning 😆 Better gamepad, more stable fps... But note 😆

@Utena-mobile The Palmworld bit is coming, I believe Nintendo has started making its moves in that one.

If Xbox start making their games multiplat this will be the last Xbox I own. I’d rather have less consoles taking up space so if I can get Xbox games on PlayStation, even at a later date, I’d rather just have the one console and it wouldn’t be an Xbox.

@Kaloudz I can see them keeping Gears, Halo, Forza, ‘exclusive’ to the Xbox for as long as there is one. Everything else could go multiplat imo.

The problem is that those 3 franchises have been diluted so much over the years that I don’t think they’ll be enough to keep people on Xbox. All 3 franchises are a a shadow of what they have been for various reasons.

@Kaloudz I still disagree. It’s a lathe difference to me between games going to PC or your competitors. If Sony announced they were putting games on Xbox, this would not be the same conversation we are having.

Already rumors of Starfield and Indiana Jones going to PS5. MS wants to make money, they lose money on consoles and make money on software. It’s not business suicide to become a pseudo third party publisher for games. They’d likely make more money than they do now.

@Kaloudz That’s the part that confuses me. They constantly say they lose money on consoles, now this talk of going multiplatform but they’re developing the next gen. I can’t make it add up.

@TheRealPaperKut would've been better to put rented.

@Utena-mobile The developer checked legal stuff before publishing the game, so it's safe! 😊 Nintendo or Pokemon don't own the concept of cute monsters that resemble terrestrial beings. Nintendo also registered the concept of aiming a bow airborne 🤣.

@Banjo- it's not about love/hate of consoles. It's mostly about policy of companies. I like Nintendo policy, I'm ok with PlayStation policy and I'm strongly against Xbox policy. Because of it, Xbox is kinda retro console for me. I'm not interested in modern Xbox console, but I like my Xbox 360. I can't hate it.

>why are you here, then? I don't understand.

Because I still playing on my Xbox 360 sometimes. Pretty simple, isn't it?

>Congratulations on being the first person outside Nintendo to have had their hands on their future hardware. Maybe you can sell the information to Sony or Microsoft.

Thanks. But I'm not a mercantile man.

@Utena-mobile 😊 ✌🏻

@Phantasystar77I'm not denying that Destiny was made to be everywhere but Sony could have pulled an Apple & made parts exclusive etc. As for MLB. Sony could have dropped the franchise if they didn't want there developer working on an Xbox version. But they didn't as it doesn't make business sense. Heck I bet Sony looked at how much Bungie & MLB were making as one key argument to base there current strategy of expanding to PC, Cloud & Mobile.

Is Microsoft in trouble. Yes. Even if the rumour is untrue the damage has been done. If it is true? It depends on how quickly it's implimented & what the plan is. As if you spook both players & devs all the hard work over the years that Spencer's done rebuilding the Xbox brand after the Xbox One launch as well as fixing rifts & securing new partnerships with Japanese publishers will be for nothing.

But if you look at Xbox's top played games there all multiplats. EA Soccer, Fortnite, Roblox & COD & Minecraft which are Xbox owned & all on PS5 so if marketed well Xbox console still could be a viable product to the consumer.

I think it's more the CEO Sataya Nadella & the shareholders pushing this than Phil Spencer. I think what happening is the future as consoles will slowly die out. But I think there pushing it to quickly which is a very Microsoft thing to do. But we will know better next week.