Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has announced today as part of the Official Xbox Podcast that four games from the Xbox first-party lineup will be coming to other consoles in the near future - although they haven't been named yet.
That said, we do have a few clues. Firstly, we know they're definitely not Starfield or Indiana Jones as previously rumoured - and Spencer also revealed a few more hints about what kind of games to expect:
"We looked at games that are over a year old. So they've been on Xbox and PC for a while. A couple of the games are community-driven games, new games, kind of first iterations of a franchise that have reached their full potential, let's say, on Xbox and PC-- there's always growth, franchises that we obviously want to continue to invest in."
"Two of the other games are smaller games that were never really meant to be built as kind of platform exclusives and all the fanfare that goes around that, but games that our teams really wanted to go build that we love supporting creative endeavors across our studios regardless of size. And as they've realized their full potential on Xbox and PC, we see an opportunity to utilize the other platforms as a place to just drive more business value out of those games, allowing us to invest in maybe future iterations of those, so equals to those, or just other games like that in our portfolio."
Our initial thoughts are that these four games could be Hi-Fi RUSH, Sea of Thieves, Pentiment and possibly Grounded, although clearly Xbox wants to wait a little longer until they're officially confirmed.
It was also mentioned during the show that these four titles aren't indicative of any major shift in strategy for Xbox in regards to exclusives, although it remains to be seen if more games will make the jump in the future as well.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know down in the comments section below.
Comments 43
This literally could have been a tweet, and it would have been over. What a waste of time.
Will likely be Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment. Two live service games and two smaller games. All at least a year old.
Hi Fi Rush
Pentiment
Sea of thieves
Grounded
These are my guesses. These games can easily live on every platform and not "kill the brand" like everyone was worried about.
I doubt they stop at 4 games and I imagine the games they say aren't going to launch elsewhere will be as well if they see positive results.
All fuss over nothing 🤣 but Xbox got loads of public 😎🤣🎉
A multiplatform Banjo Kazooie would make a lot of sense
What a way to make people talk about Xbox. Genius move. It was just some Sony fanboys wanting Xbox games and predicting the end of the world as always.
I wonder what is next on the agenda for everyone to overreact with regarding Xbox? 🤔
All these Chicken Littles running around for the last week or so. Just a big fat nope burger at the end of the day. It's sad that there were stories of people selling off their Xbox and denouncing Xbox for what amounted to a knee-jerk reaction and bad journalism. The Xbox is a phenomenal platform and gets way too much flak for how good it is.
@Kraven
This literally could have been a tweet, and it would have been over
That is true, but then again have you forgotten what fun was to go all hysterical with overblown bizarre takes about the death of Xbox? Oh and lest we forget about the immense fun PushSquare had over which franchises PlayStation owners are most interested in coming over to the PS5 🤣🤣.
They are shooting themselves in the foot. Not the head. ✅
So games that no one really wants? As of now nothing changed and maybe these 4 games generate a million sales combined elsewhere
Host - "What was the criteria for selecting those 4 games?"
Phil - "We looked at games that are over a year old. A couple of the games are community driven games [live service]. Two of the other games are smaller games that were never really meant to be built as platform exclusives but games that our teams really wanted to build and we want to support those creative endeavors."
This should tell us all we need to know about future titles. Live service and small passion projects after 1 year as xbox exclusive
Xbox is dead, long live Xbox. A whole lot of makes sense burger, let more people enjoy great games.....Still nothing, I mean nothing will top the (over) reactions of the last two weeks 😅.
@BacklogBrad Two publications have already confirmed these are the first 4 games.
@Kaloudz The problem wasn't the leaks, these are often incorrect leaks, the problem was the Xbox community taking those and turning them up to eleven while quoting from the Doomsday book. As I said last week: "With supporters like these who needs enemies!" That's on them.
@themightyant those games make sense. Hopefully it allows them to make a sequel to Hi Fi Rush and more games in the vain of Pentiment. Maybe i can talk playstation friends into playing more Grounded (if it's one of the 4). I love Grounded so much.
@BacklogBrad Get them to play/buy these games and there will surely be more Xbox games on PlayStation in future. Microsoft just dipping their toes in for now.
@themightyant
the problem was the Xbox community taking those and turning them up to eleven while quoting from the Doomsday book
Not entirely true. Unless now we are counting dedicated single platform websites like PushSquare as part of the Xbox community, not to mention the multiplatform ones. The Xbox community did indeed went full blown apocalyptic, but let's not pretend it happened in a vacuum ....what Xbox franchises did you cast your vote on over at PushSquare😉
@Valkyrian
Honestly I hope they'll consider it.
So they can bring Hi-Fi Rush to switch and not xbox one WTF.......
@themightyant I don't know if Pentiment or HI Fi Rush are really "get them to buy these" kind of games. 34 million people have gamepass and 3 million people have played the award worthy Hi Fi (includes steam and Xbox sales too). It would have been no added investment for those subscribers to at least try it.
I liked pentiment but I'm thankful it was on gamepass. That's a questionable sell at $20 unless you know you are a fan of that type of game.
I think Phil nailed it when he said they have run their course on xbox. They don't drive people to gamepass or xbox hardware but they are a nice advertisement for xbox to anyone that does check them out.
I think this is a good decision to bring some smaller titles (with the exception of Sea of Thieves) to other platforms.
As for Sea of Thieves, it benefits from having a thriving online community, so the more players the better.
@Sol4ris The poll on PushSquare was "Which Xbox Franchises Would You Buy on PS5?" I think I voted for Elder Scrolls, Fable, Dishonored, Fallout and Halo. What of it?
There were FAR more articles here and on Xbox sites than the handful on Push Square. Rightly so, but it was also right for them to discuss it as they might gain. But they weren't the ones leading the meltdown.
You may need to rewatch the pod cast, @Kaloudz! Spencer said that Starfield and Indiana Jones are not part of the first 4 games to go over. He did not say that Starfield and Indiana Jones will not go to the PlayStation. In fact, he quite literally said that they will see how the first 4 games perform before making any further decisions. Saying they are not among the first 4 is not the same as saying they will never, ever go over. He could have said that, but he didn't, which means they, and all other games that are currently an Xbox exclusive remain on the table as possible ports. He could have responded to the rumours that have been circulating, in which a handful of games, including the likes of Gears and Halo, by naming them individually and saying categorically that they are not being ported. It would have taken 20 seconds of his time. Instead he sidestepped the issue demonstrating a masterclass in PR speak, which many will fall for. Saying Starfield and Indiana Jones are not among the first 4 is not the same as saying they will never go. I mean, it would be difficult for Indiana Jones in particular because the game isn't even out yet...!
@themightyant
You're alright mate, it all happened in a vacuum and the problem was the Xbox community.....Still why so passive aggressive 🙄.
So what did we actually learn?:
1. Microsoft are in the process of developing a next generation Xbox. I was pleased to hear this as I was not 100% certain that they would do so, though as I have said previously; development of the next console begins the moment the current one ships of the conveyor belt. Thus plans will have been in motion for some time already.
2. There are no 34 million Game Pass subscribers. It was good to have an official figure, though it would also have been nice to know whether that is still rising, plateaued or is falling.
3. Four unnamed games are going to rival consoles, but they do not include Starfield or Indiana Jones. Not included in the first four, but they could still be five and six for all we know because he did say they would see how the first four games performed before deciding what to do next.
4. The first of the ABK games is coming to the Game Pass. Of course, Diablo IV needs a large community and so throwing it on the Game Pass makes perfect business sense, but is also something to keep the Xbox community occupied and distracted. When you consider the vast quantity of games that came with the acquisition, you would have thought that we might have had a little more by now.
I think the biggest takeaway from the pod cast is that we learnt very little, there remain many unanswered questions, and the Phil Spencer is a master at saying a lot, without saying much at all...!
@Sol4ris so many Xbox “influencers” whatever they are denounced the platform. I saw tons of comments on here questioning the point of an Xbox if all games are ported over. Let’s not pretend it’s the PlayStation community who have been most vocal about this.
Thing is, @themightyant, were the leaks wrong? All we know is that Starfield and Indiana Jones are not going to be included in Phase 1, which will most likely be the four that most are referring to. However, he specifically did not say that those games, or any other for that matter, will never go to rival consoles. Indeed, Spencer did say they were going to see how the first 4 performed, and whether there is an appetite for Xbox games, before deciding what to do next. And what does that mean? It means that if Microsoft see the dollars rolling in following the release of the first four, then they will absolutely port more!
All along, the rumours have said that Microsoft are considering porting Starfield and Indiana Jones, and possibly even Gears and Halo. The key word is 'considering'! At no point did Spencer rule out those games going at some point. All he did was say they were not part of the first four titles, and then probably hoped that none of us noticed that he did not say never. Thus, the rumours of the games being considered, would absolutely be right...
@GeeEssEff
I never claimed that the PlayStation community was the most vocal. What I did say was that this whole thing didn't happen in a vacuum. Yes (most) Xbox owners went armageddon (online), but let's not pretend that other gaming communities played no part. That would be disingenuous...
@Sol4ris No one said other communities didn't play any part only that it was xbox fans leading their own meltdown.
@Fiendish-Beaver I don't think the leaks were wrong. I said that on another thread, they had it pretty right. It was the internet that ran away with it and far too many Xbox fans self-imploded.
I completely agree they said a lot without saying much (and on the rambling follow up article with The Verge where they wouldn't deny Starfield or Indy might come, only that it's not the plan today). The only things I would add to what you said we learned is that:
1) All ABK games ARE coming to Game Pass Day 1 (EDIT: Matt Booty said all games Day 1)
2) It's not JUST about whether games make money on other platforms and have more engagement, they will also carefully be monitoring Xbox to see whether there is any impact there. This is the delicate needle they have to thread, much like Sony is doing on PC adding games to other platforms without destroying your home playerbase.
@Lup Yeah, they got the free marketing, 300,000 (and growing) views on Youtube and disappointed those that were hoping for the death of Xbox, all in 20 minutes. There were also a lot of digs:
1) The largest leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation.
2) 34m subscribers.
3) More developers than ever before are working on Xbox.
4) All Xbox games on Game Pass on day one.
Two live service (Grounded/Sea) and two smaller titles (HiFi, Pentiment) they makes sense.
Pentiment as a small story driven game makes sense on PlayStation.
Hifi for action fans. If it's physical I'll buy it if not well there we go.
The others make sense for multiplayer appeal.
Halo/Gears/Forza (Horizon then Motorsport probably if they were to) they wouldn't go that far. Halo already has development issues these days so it's more effort to port it over and Rare with Sea of Thieves or Obsidian having their games on other platforms is fair I think. Obsidian can make games quickly and effectively so I can see them
Technically since GBA Rare hasn't ported games to other platforms I think unless mobile I don't know about or something else.
I think it’s kinda funny how people are saying that the cost of AAA games is so large nowadays that it only makes sense that they would be multiplatform, yet expect Microsoft to only port the smaller games. The other games are probably coming to Playstation like they do PC, and then there will be no reason to buy an Xbox. I don’t think this is a good idea since they would need a large catalog of quality exclusive games of all sizes to sell their console, but Microsoft has made it clear their goal isn’t to sell consoles. If they don’t want to sell consoles, then why bother?
Not bothered if it is them 4....despite owning a ps5 ...I don't want the big exclusives to go multi platform
I hope Sea of Thieves is cross play enabled. I can't wait to have some fun with my Playstation friends on that game. Up until now I regarded it as one of the best Xbox exclusives. Great news that it is going multiplat
Honestly so excited that more people can enjoy Xbox games.
If you think MS are going to stop at going multiplatform with just these 4, then I have this bridge for sale that you might be interested in.
I wish Phil announced FF7 Remake/Rebirth & FF16 but he gave Xbox games to Playstation. Very dumb decision, I'm very disappointed. Why support PS when they use your revenue to keep games from Xbox!
@rhyno_888 "Why support PS when they use your revenue to keep games from Xbox!"
Since Microsoft has a massive acquisition to pay for.
Personally, I think Starfield will make the leap within the next 18 months, @BrilliantBill. Indiana Jones will go 12 to 18 months after its initial release.
I absolutely agree that Xbox has a number of franchises that will make a lot of instant money for Microsoft; Gears, Halo and Forza being the big three. If they go over, then the point of owning an Xbox becomes mute. The reason I say that is that once the existing games have gone over, you just know that Gears 6 will make the leap within 18 months of its release. At that point, you may just as well own a PlayStation and wait it out.
Making some instant money is not the same as the reasons to own an Xbox being sustainable...
The word I particularly take issue with that you used, @Kaloudz, is specific, because he was far from that. Was he specific regarding Starfield and Indiana Jones being within the first 4 games to cross over? Yes. Was he specific that those games will never cross over, or not within the next 12 months? No, absolutely not. He did mention that any games that make the leap would be at least 12 months old, so it is entirely possible that Starfield will go over this year in time for the Holiday sales. If this is the intention, he could just have said so, not leave the community to question what he said, and more importantly, did not say.
I think both Starfield and Indiana Jones will cross over. Starfield will go at between 14 and 18 months after its initial release, and Indiana Jones will go at between 12 to 18 months after its release. Spencer could just have been honest and said that.
Rumours of the big three franchises crossing over have been absolutely rife. Now read this sentence: "There is absolutely no way that Gears of War, Halo or Forza will ever go on to the PlayStation under my watch". That took me 9 seconds to read (yes, I timed it!). That is how long it would have taken Spencer to categorically deny that these games will ever cross over. He deliberately omitted to say that. Now, I get your argument that he would not want to be accused of having lied if they then went, but he could have made that commitment and chose not to, which means those games are very much on the table.
Personally, I think the much rumoured Marcus Fenix Trilogy exists, and that once it releases, it will cross over to the PlayStation 12 to 18 months later, maybe even sooner. I could actually see a simultaneous release on both platforms.
Mark my words, Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded and Sea of Thieves are simply Phase One. There will be many more phases to follow, most likely starting 3 to 6 months after Phase One commences. Every single Xbox exclusive has the possibility of being included within those subsequent phases.
The last thing Spencer was is specific...
@Phantom_Anima green house emissions due to employees farts.....you can put money on it.
The entire point of yesterday's event was to squash the rumors of Starfield going to Playstation. Yet all they could promise was that it wasn't in the first 4 games. And if it wasn't abundantly clear from the podcast, here's the quote from The Verge interview yesterday.
Wow, consider those rumors squashed!
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