Microsoft’s gaming CEO has reiterated that it won’t rule out any first-party Xbox game potentially coming to rival platforms such as PlayStation and Nintendo in the future.
Xbox first announced in February plans to bring a wave of games to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, in what appeared to be a significant change of strategy, starting with Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves and Grounded.
Later, Microsoft announced Doom: The Dark Ages for Xbox Series X/S, PC, and PS5 and confirmed that a PS5 version of its Indiana Jones game will be released next year.
Speaking in a new interview with Bloomberg, Phil Spencer reportedly said he was pleased with the results of the first wave of multiplatform releases, and that Microsoft would bring more titles to other platforms.
“I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say ‘thou must not,’ ” he said, adding that it was too early to make a decision on the next version of Halo.
Spencer previously said he wouldn’t ever want to rule out any game coming to another platform, and it was claimed that Xbox is considering bringing a newly remastered version of Halo Combat Evolved to PlayStation. Xbox has also reportedly weighed up the idea of releasing Gears of War, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and Starfield for rival consoles.
Spencer told The Verge in February: “I don’t think we should as an industry ever rule out a game going to any other platform… To ensure long-term success for both Xbox and the industry as a whole, we must continue to evolve.”
While figures for the multiplatform Xbox games haven’t been released, there are signs of success. Rare’s Sea of Thieves was PS5’s most downloaded game in May, in both the US and Europe.
PlayStation 5
PC
Xbox Series X | S
Xbox Game Studios (Microsoft)
Phil Spencer
Andy Robinson