The console wars may officially be over.
OK, that's a little dramatic, but it sounds like Xbox is gearing up to make a major shift in the gaming space. According to separate reports from Giant Bomb, The Verge, GameFile, and XboxEra released over the past few weeks, several high-profile Xbox (and PC) exclusive titles might eventually come to PlayStation 5 and/or Nintendo Switch. The main titles in question are the already-released Starfield, Hi-Fi Rush, and Sea of Thieves, as well as the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Of course, Microsoft hasn't confirmed any of this, and release dates for the PS5 and Switch (in Hi-Fi Rush's case only) versions of these games are unknown. However, it seems that this strategy might keep some games Xbox-exclusive on at least a temporary basis. The Verge claims that Indiana Jones' period of Xbox exclusivity might be relatively brief, lasting only months instead of a year or more.
The best evidence we have of this reported shift in exclusivity is some data-mined in-game outfits for Hi-Fi Rush that seem awfully close to PlayStation and Nintendo branding.
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That said, where there's smoke, there's usually fire. Plus, these are reports from multiple very credible sources. This possible shift feels like a natural evolution of Microsoft's strategy over the past several years, which has seemed to place more emphasis on acquiring big-name IP and driving Game Pass subscriptions than raw game and console sales numbers.
In other words, it seems like Microsoft would rather get its properties into as many people's hands as possible than adhere to previously established exclusivity standards.
Of course, that would naturally devalue the Xbox consoles themselves. It will be fascinating to see if this plays out as reported and how it affects Microsoft's hardware business going forward.
