Meanwhile, one of its multiplatform games is essentially a test for the Redmond-based company, as it will determine how the company’s plans for Xbox exclusives may change in the future.

Xbox President Sarah Bond reflected on her first six months in the role. We’ve already reported on the creation of her game preservation team, so let’s skip that and go back to what she said in February. At the time, Microsoft confirmed rumors that several Xbox exclusives (Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded, Sea of Thieves) would go multiplatform, and Bond mentioned that the goal was to create a next-gen console that would be the biggest leap forward in terms of technology.

“It’s been almost six months since we came together as an organization. Our collective accomplishments in that time have been tremendous. Everyone should be incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished and excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. We are moving full speed ahead on our next-generation hardware, focused on delivering the biggest technology leap in a generation,” said Bond. But how will they do that when silicon development is slowing down? The company could rely on artificial intelligence, and the PlayStation 5 Pro (yet to be announced) will use such upscaling technology, PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution… but rumor has it that Microsoft is not planning a half-generation console update. Would the company release the new console before the PlayStation 6? The Xbox 360 also got a year’s head start on the PS3.

Meanwhile, Tom Warren of The Verge claims that Sea of Thieves will be a key game on PlayStation 5. Microsoft is evaluating how much they’ll benefit from Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 ports of the games. In other words, if Rare’s pirate game is a huge success on Sony’s console, Microsoft will be more bold to add its own titles to the multiplatform pile. So maybe, just maybe, Starfield will eventually make its way to PlayStation 5 (which it was originally intended for)…

Source: WCCFTech, WCCFTech, Windows Central, The Verge