Earlier this year, Microsoft confirmed that some of its exclusive titles are coming to PlayStation 5. Then, earlier this week, it revealed that more, including upcoming titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, are making their way to the company’s long-time rival. But, the recent rumblings suggest that a far more important title than both will become available on PlayStation consoles soon, and it’s not what you think it is.
While Starfield was largely disappointing upon its release—save for that moment when it was leaked and everyone cheered for it—Bethesda Softworks has done an excellent job patching the game and releasing new updates. It’s now in a better place than when it first launched. Given the recent developments, many wondered if Microsoft is thinking of bringing Starfield over to PlayStation, years after Pete Hines apologized for its exclusivity.
Although many will undoubtedly make a fuss out of Starfield’s arrival on PlayStation 5, warts and all, giving the green light for this particular game to go to a rival platform would have a worse effect on the Xbox brand.
According to this insider, Forza Horizon 5 is next in line for a PS5 port, while others believe that Forza Motorsport is more likely. Either port doesn’t spell well for Xbox as a brand.
Forza, alongside Halo and Gears of War, is one of Xbox’s crown jewels. The racing simulator series is a cornerstone of Microsoft’s gaming strategy, helping to define the Xbox brand since its inception.
The mere suggestion of Forza crossing over to traditionally enemy territory puts into question the future of any “exclusive” title for the Xbox. It’s easily more significant than porting Starfield, a relatively new title from a studio that Microsoft only recently acquired, not a homegrown brand like Forza, which has been synonymous with the Xbox brand for nearly two decades.
The potential implications of this move are far-reaching. The prospect of losing such a significant exclusive title feels like a betrayal, marketing the beginning of the end for Xbox as a hardware platform. Once this happens, nothing is stopping Xbox from porting over the entire Halo and Gears of War franchise.
However, the situation is not as straightforward as it might seem at first glance. Forza games, like many racing titles, rely heavily on car licenses. These licenses are often platform-specific and time-limited, which could complicate any potential port to PlayStation.
Nevertheless, with Forza Motorsport failing to sell well, especially compared to Forza Horizon 5, there’s an incentive to see if it will surge in sales like Sea of Thieves did after arriving on PS5 earlier this year.
From a broader point of view though, this feels very on-brand with how Xbox head Phil Spencer has handled queries about porting over Xbox games to PlayStation in the past year. He has constantly left the door open for more cross-platform releases, leaving many to believe that Microsoft is pivoting towards becoming more of a video game publisher than a console manufacturer, similar to its multi-trillion-dollar software arm.
If this happens, the potential loss of marquee exclusives like the Forza series, perhaps forever, will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the brand and public perception. This could create a scenario where the Xbox Series X becomes the last traditional console Microsoft ever makes. Its successors could take the form of pre-built PCs or streaming devices with an Xbox brand slapped on for branding. The value of Xbox would then lie in its Game Pass subscription service and earlier, more affordable access to newer releases.
This isn’t necessarily bad news for competition. After all, even without Xbox, Sony still has to fight against endless consumer entertainment options, forcing them to find ways to innovate constantly. Then, there’s Nintendo, whose next console might rival, if not exceed, the PlayStation 4 in performance. If it matches the capabilities of the Xbox Series S, especially with proper optimization, Nintendo can give Sony a good run for its money in more graphically intensive titles.
The timing of these rumors is also particularly interesting. They come at a point when Xbox has not only struggled to deliver on its promises of must-have exclusive titles but has even failed to bring popular multi-platform games into the fold, with Black Myth: Wukong serving as the latest example.
For now, this lack of clarity leaves Xbox fans in a state of uncertainty as they wait for Microsoft’s official confirmation or denial.
