Thanks to Phil Spencer, Xbox fans finally know when to expect an official announcement from Microsoft regarding the latest rumours that first-party exclusive games will be coming to multiplatform…
Amid rampant rumours and speculation surrounding alleged internal plans to release several key Xbox titles on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has announced when to expect official information.
Xbox is coming off a very successful Developer Direct last month, showing off new gameplay footage and release windows for its three big AAA titles coming out this year: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Avowed.
A few weeks ago, rumours began to surface that Tango Gameworks’ acclaimed rhythm action game Hi-Fi Rush and Rare’s live-action pirate sandbox Sea of Thieves were coming to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. Since these are among the smaller titles on Xbox, it makes sense to bring these games to a new audience. Especially for Sea of Thieves. However, some of Xbox’s biggest exclusive titles have also recently entered the rumour mill. Some industry insiders now believe that Xbox is debating releasing games such as Starfield, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for the PlayStation 5.
Even long-running core Xbox franchises Halo and Gears of War are rumoured to be available for PS5 players in the future. (See more about this below.) This essentially makes Xbox a third-party publisher.
These rumors, which met with massive online outrage from much of the Xbox community, prompted calls for an official announcement from Xbox.
After days of speculation and calls from Xbox fans for Microsoft to clarify the situation, Phil Spencer finally responded on Twitter. Expressing his attention to the community, Spencer announced that Xbox is planning a “business update event.” The latter will take place next week. He vaguely shared that the tune-up will provide further insight into his vision for the future of Xbox. This will likely include clear answers regarding exclusivity. While he didn’t specifically mention the rumours in the tweet, it’s clearly a response to the uncertainty and outrages the rumours have fueled in recent days.
Phil Spencer can announce that Gears of War may be released on PlayStation in the future?!
Longtime insider Jeff Grubb has claimed that Xbox is considering porting Gears of War to the PlayStation. But he did not say that Xbox had finalized this decision. He also didn’t specify whether the company is considering porting all Gears of War games to PlayStation or just future releases. Grubb added that Xbox previously planned to announce its new cross-platform strategy in late February. But now that several leaks have been revealed, the company can make the announcement much sooner. This would drastically change Xbox’s strategy, and some fans are worried about the console’s longevity. Especially since PlayStation owners have access to the best titles on both platforms.
If the leaks about Starfield and other popular Xbox exclusives turn out to be true, it wouldn’t be a stretch to believe that Gears of War would join the fray.
The legendary Xbox franchise still has many fans, but there hasn’t been a mainline Gears of War game in over four years. However, there are signs that the development of Gears of War 6 is going full steam ahead.
We're listening and we hear you. We've been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox. Stay tuned.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 5, 2024
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