What you need to know
- Microsoft is working on porting Xbox games to PlayStation, per a strategy outlined earlier in the year.
- Microsoft hasn't been clear on what games would be ported, leading to a ton of speculation. So far, Pentiment, Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush, and Sea of Thieves have moved across.
- Now, noted insider Shinobi602 has implied that another "big" Xbox game is slated to be announced for PlayStation next week, where Gamescom 2024 is set to take place.
Another Xbox game is coming across to PlayStation, if the latest round of rumors is to be believed.
Earlier in the year, Microsoft torched its earlier promises to players that it would build permanently exclusive games for Xbox by initiating ports of its games to competing arch console rival PlayStation. It has lead to on-going doubt about Microsoft's commitment to the future of the Xbox platform and its users. Despite this, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella repeatedly claims to investors that Xbox has more console users than ever. Microsoft has even initiated plans to build a new generation of next-gen Xbox hardware, which the firm claims will represent Xbox's "biggest technological leap," while also doubling down on Xbox Game Pass, with a day-one drop of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 slated for later this year — a first for the franchise.
Some Xbox fans are concerned that with Microsoft moving its exclusives out of the platform, fewer gamers will be interested in purchasing Xbox, leading to fewer developers wanting to build games for Xbox — putting the platform into a tailspin. The four ported games so far haven't exactly led to a mass exodus of users, but with games like Black Myth Wukong and Capcom's back catalog skipping the platform, the size of the install base has repeatedly led to questions about how much of a priority Xbox is for developers at large.
For users with these concerns, the latest raft of rumors won't be comforting reading.
Noted insider and generally lovely chap Shinobi602 shared via a forum (via XboxEra) that Xbox is planning to reveal another "big" Xbox game for PlayStation as soon as next week — the same week where Gamescom 2024 is taking place.
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Responding to a user discussion over when the next round of games would be announced for PlayStation, Shinobi responded "where are you next week?" and then clarified further that he doesn't know if it will be "multiple" ports, but it will at least be a "big" one.
Some users began speculating that it would be Forza Horizon 5, Microsoft's flagship racing game which has served tens of millions of users across Xbox and PC. My sources indicate that Forza will not be announced for PlayStation next week. Although I can't yet confirm what game, if any, will be announced as a port next week. Shinobi602 is a rock solid source, so I suspect it's only a matter of time until he's proven correct.
Xbox CEO Phil Spencer stated in an interview last June that more games are coming to platforms like PlayStation, "You are going to see more of our games on more platforms, and we just see that as a benefit to the franchises that we’re building, and we see that from players, and the players love to be able to play."
So, if not Forza, what could Xbox be porting to PS5 next?
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Microsoft's presence at Gamescom 2024 will be its biggest ever, with a mountain of playable first and third-party games including titles like Age of Mythology, Stalker 2, Towerborne, and much more. This latest round of rumors is likely to represent an on-going headache for Xbox's messaging with its core users, though, despite generalized transparency that "more titles" will eventually be ported.
Xbox is enjoying bigger revenues than it ever has thanks to its Activision-Blizzard purchase, with service games like Candy Crush, World of Warcraft, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 all doing some serious heavy lifting for Xbox's growth. Much of that growth is off Xbox console, though, whose sales have generally declined year-over-year as we've exited the pandemic.
Other platforms are also experiencing a dip in hardware sales, though, as service games give the previous generation an unnaturally long life span. Mega-franchises like FIFA, Call of Duty, Fortnite, and so on, remain constantly updated on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One X and Xbox One S consoles, limiting the desirability of current-gen consoles and the necessity to upgrade. Big new-gen exclusive release events like Grand Theft Auto 6 could begin to change the landscape there, however.
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For Xbox and other platform holders, the dilemma has been how to find growth as costs continue to rise. The overall install base of console users has remained fixed at around 250 million for several years at this point according to most analyses, with the overall console industry set to experience a decline of 1% according to Newzoo, as PC and mobile experience slight increases of 4% and 3% respectively. This stat is why you've seen Xbox and even PlayStation embrace PC gaming more than ever, with God of War: Ragnarok, a former PS5 exclusive, set to launch on Steam on September 19, 2024. Microsoft has also brought Xbox Game Pass to the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K range as well, in hopes to find users who find console prices unpalatable.
Still, when porting games to your direct closed platform competitor, it's probably prudent to use a light touch. To that end, I suspect many Xbox games will at least remain timed exclusives for Xbox and Windows platforms at least in the short to medium term, while Microsoft explores its back catalog of older games for the port treatment.
Forza Horizon 5 likely isn't the game being announced next week, although that's not to suggest Forza Horizon 5 won't ever be ported. It would make absolutely insane money on PlayStation, no doubt, and I'm sure Microsoft has Forza Horizon 5 as a candidate for the port treatment.
If we're talking about next week, though ... and if I had to guess (and it really is a pure guess, not a tease) I could see something older like Killer Instinct, State of Decay 2, or Halo: Master Chief Collection making their way across sooner rather than later. I'm sure these games have done pretty much everything they can do in terms of users and sales on Xbox and PC, much like Sea of Thieves and Grounded before them. Perhaps it could even be Hellblade 2, given the franchise's history on PlayStation. There's also a chance it could be related to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle by Machine Games, which so far has only been announced for Xbox and PC. Microsoft doesn't own the Indiana Jones IP naturally, and Disney might be keen to let PlayStation users know when to expect a version for their preferred platform.
In any case, all we have is speculation right now. I'll be sure to update you if my investigations bear fruit.
