Forza Horizon 5 On PS5 Isn't The End Of Xbox, But It's A Change That Cannot Be Reversed

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This is the latest in a series of guest columns from Pure Xbox , a loyal community dedicated to all things Team Green. We bring you all the biggest news from the world of Xbox, as well as features, polls, talking points, reviews and so much more!

Many Xbox fans have been wondering whether one of the 'big three' Xbox franchises – Halo, Gears or Forza – would eventually make their way over to PS5. It turns out Forza Horizon 5 is the first to make the jump, having been officially revealed for Sony's current-gen system with a Spring 2025 release window. Unsurprisingly, fans have been very opinionated about the announcement ever since it dropped.

There's even heartbreak over the decision to move such a treasured Xbox exclusive over to its rival console, but truthfully it's something we've been expecting for a while now. If you read between the lines, Phil Spencer and the team at Xbox have subtly tried to inform us about the "no red lines" rule when it comes to exclusives these days, which most likely means that Halo, Gears, Starfield and many other Xbox franchises will be heading to PS5 and possibly even Nintendo Switch 2 sooner or later.

But why do this? Why risk alienating loyal fans who have aligned themselves with the Xbox brand because of its exclusives? The answer almost certainly lies in the numbers. We've seen time and again how hardware revenue has declined for Microsoft, while income from Xbox content and services has increased. It's no wonder the company's priorities have shifted. This change in strategy means Xbox can focus more on becoming a publishing behemoth while also making its games accessible to more players on all platforms.

Earlier this year Spencer talked about Xbox having "evolved" its identity in order to continue thriving amidst challenging times for the industry. Furthermore, he believes Xbox's new approach would be best adopted by the masses, to allow major developers and publishers to keep making high-budget AAA games. Moon Studios CEO Thomas