Four Xbox-exclusive games heading to PS5 and Switch, confirms Phil Spencer

eurogamer.net:

Following mounting reports Xbox is preparing for some kind of multiplatform future, Microsoft has confirmed it'll be bringing four previously Xbox-exclusive first-party titles to PlayStation 5 and Switch later this year, with more likely to come in the future.

Reports that Microsoft was preparing to release a number of first-party games on competing consoles — namely Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush — first surfaced at the start of this year, but it wasn't until last week's claims high-profile exclusives such as Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would also be going multiplatform that Microsoft broke its silence, promising to reveal more in a podcast this week.

And now, as reported by The Verge — which was pre-briefed by Microsoft ahead of tonight's reveal — Xbox gaming boss Phil Spencer has confirmed the company has «made the decision that we're going to take four games to the other consoles». Bafflingly, Spencer does not name the games directly, only saying two are community-driven titles and two are smaller games.

Instead, additional clarity comes from The Verge, which, citing «sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans», says Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment will be the first two titles heading to PlayStation 5 and Switch, with Sea of Thieves and Grounded to follow.

And speaking to The Verge ahead of tonight's podcast, Spencer insisted Microsoft is «focused on these four games and learning from the experience», saying it doesn't «have work going on, on other franchises.» And while Starfield and Indiana Jones are not part of Microsoft's initial multiplatform plans, Spencer doesn't rule out the possibility they'll eventually make their way to PS5. «I don’t think we should as an industry ever rule out a game going to any other platform», he explained.

Spencer also confirmed more first-party Xbox