After weeks of rumors regarding Xbox gamesâ exclusivity and whether or not big-budget titles like Bethesdaâs Starfield or the upcoming Indiana Jones and The Great Circle would end up on other consoles, weâve got some clarification. The February 15 special edition of the Official Xbox Podcast saw Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer, head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty, and Xbox president Sarah Bond sit down to iron-out some details and set the record straight.
Read More: The Church Of Xbox Is Going Through Its Own Armageddon
Spencer wasted no time getting into the âexclusivity question,â telling moderator Tina Amini that the team âmade the decision to take four games to the other consoles.â He emphasized that itâs âjust four games. Not a change to our fundamental exclusive strategy.â Spencer declined to name the four titles, saying that âthe teams building those games have announce plans that are not too far awayâ and he âdoesnât want to take anything away from those teams.â
He did, however, confirm that neither the space-faring RPG Starfield (which debuted in 2022), nor MachineGamesâ upcoming Indiana Jones are included in the list of the four soon-to-be-not-exclusive titles. Spencer cites that the decision to open up these titles to other platforms was made with the âlong-term health of Xbox in mind,â which includes âreaching as many players as [they] can.â
The Verge reports that, based on knowledge from sources âfamiliar with Microsoftâs plansâ that the four titles will be: Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded. Kotaku cannot confirm this, but it would certainly make sense: Hi-Fi Rush surprise-launched on Game Pass last year and was a huge success, while both Sea of Thieves and Grounded have vibrant multipalyer communities. And, of course, people really liked Pentiment, so why not spread the love?
Itâs unclear if the confirmation that Starfield and Indiana Jones wonât go to PlayStation quelled the concerns of the, erm, vibrant Xbox fan base, but I guess time will tell.
