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Rumour: Microsoft to go third party and release games on PlayStation and Nintendo
Starfield is the latest Microsoft/Bethesda game supposedly coming to PS5 later this year
https://xboxera.com/2024/02/04/exclusive-microsoft-plans-starfield-launch-for-playstation-5/
Hi-Fi Rush also rumoured to be coming to PS5 and Switch
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/02/02/xboxs-megahit-hi-fi-rush-is-definitely-coming-to-ps5-and-switch/amp/
https://xboxera.com/2024/02/04/exclusive-microsoft-plans-starfield-launch-for-playstation-5/
Hi-Fi Rush also rumoured to be coming to PS5 and Switch
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/02/02/xboxs-megahit-hi-fi-rush-is-definitely-coming-to-ps5-and-switch/amp/
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I wonder if this is some sort of internal battle inside Microsoft with MS executive wanting to cut their losses with Xbox and start making some money from the games they make and the Xbox division arguing staying the course will pay bigger in the long run. Phil Spencer has been head of Xbox for nearly 10 years since taking over after the disastrous Xbox One reveal, he has spend huge amounts of money acquiring studios but hasn't really improved Xboxes fortunes.
I think the difference is between those rumours back then regarding Sony and the rumours now with Microsoft is how poorly the Xbox division is performing, they were well below the forecasted sales last year, spent all this money and not seeing any return. And also how many “sources” have seemingly leaked what’s going on.
With the switch 2 heavily rumoured to be releasing later this year, heavily rumoured PS5 pro at the end of this year or start of next and Xbox looking unlikely to be releasing an upgrade version, unless the department is being run by egos who can’t admit defeat, staying the course & hoping they somehow miraculously catch up would be nothing short of insanity, especially with how much they’ve spent acquiring studios. Turning Microsoft into the biggest 3rd party distributor imo is not only a logical move but best move they could make.
https://www.gamesradar.com/phil-spencer-says-well-see-the-future-of-xbox-next-week-following-rumors-of-a-multiplatform-future-for-microsoft/
If the rumour COD isn't going on Gamepass day one is true it makes me wonder if some financial people in Microsoft have seen all the ABK financial details and thought f*** that's a lot of money to leave on the table. Those same financial details could also show how much money a PS version could make versus an Xbox version.
With Xbox console sales declining year after year, that hasn’t come, and looks decreasingly likely to.
The test for them will be to sell enough games to PlayStation and Nintendo owners while keeping Xbox consoles and GamePass relevant and attractive to gamers.
Even if Xbox as a console platform ceases to exist, they could still be the biggest gaming software company in the world.
The worry is PlayStation and Nintendo dominating the market, with less competition to keep them on their toes.
Whatever's happening it seems they feel the need to clarify things so I guess we'll find out soon if we will see Xbox games on other platforms.
To me, this all but confirms these rumours that Xbox games will be going multiplatform.
You don't schedule an entire business update around just Hi-Fi Rush and Starfield going to PlayStation.
Seems like GamePass might be Microsoft's main focus going forward, over the Xbox brand.
Xbox has been trash since the end of the 360 era at this point. The Xbox One destroyed the brand and the Series S/X is basically just killing off what's left of them in the console space.
Xbox were always going to go 3rd party, because they don't have and never have had the consumer base to make back what was spent on Bathesda and Activision.
Microsoft has never made money on Xbox, and it's been over 20 years at this point. Their only chance of making money at this point is to put what they have acquired on everything.
The next part is will Microsoft pull out of the console business altogether? You have to ask why wouldn't they at this point? They are selling less and less consoles and Gamepass alone is not going to sell consoles. They will lose money with Gamepass subs because games like COD would sell more than they could ever make through subscriptions.
Then you need to look at their games they are putting out. High Fi Rush was okay, but not a system seller. Starfield is ass, Halo has been dying for a decade, Forza is boring, Gears is awol and as much as they love to talk about how amazing Hellblade 2 is, nobody cares about it. I haven't met or spoken to single person that gives a damn about Hellblade. It's been in development forever and any excitement it did have disappeared years ago. Nobody even cared about the first game. Humble Bundle have been giving the game away for years now because nobody cares about it.
Barely anybody will miss Xbox if they left the console space at this point. The only sad part will be everybody losing all of those digital purchases and Gamerscore they have built up over the years. I don't know how that gets saved and it will rightly piss off a lot of people if they lose it all.
Supposedly they still haven’t signed a deal with AMD to help develop the next console, instead shopped around, with Intel at one point being considered. Nothing is concrete at the moment it’s still just rumours but everything they’re doing does just scream they’re pulling out of the console market after this generation.
On Hellblade 2, personally I think looks good but a game that’s only 6-8 hours long is never going to sell consoles…fun fact about the first one tho I’m good friends with Vikki Wild who was the body model for it.
MS cant just abandon the Xbox in the same way Sega had to with the Dreamcast. People have large digital libraries of games in the Xbox eco system and walking away from them will not serve MS well as a 3rd party publisher who want to push digital games and services. The collapse of the Xbox in that way will do serious harm to the idea of digital games. Since the Sony / Discovery issue we have seen an increase in people worrying about the demise of physical media.
What if MS do leave the hardware business and go 3rd party. But based on that other rumour of licencing out the hardware to others they keep Xbox hardware alive but made by others. Then scrap the licence for launching games on Xbox. This would really cause issues from Sony and Nintendo.
https://metro.co.uk/2024/02/06/xbox-not-giving-making-consoles-according-latest-rumours-20234387/?ico=mosaic_gaming
Yeah they want to have their cake and eat it, they want people to continue to buy Xbox and pay for Gamepass while also putting their games on PS5 and Switch.
The risk is that doing so severely affects Xbox console sales, why buy the console if you can get all the games on another console which has more games anyway.
The bean counters at Microsoft have deemed that this is worth it, and apparently the leak came about from a Microsoft employee who was unhappy with the decision.
Xbox consoles may well continue, but they’ll become very niche and low selling, the console war appears to be over.
It sums up the mentallity of fanboys.
Imagine being that fanatical about a piece of plastic.
https://x.com/oliver_drk/status/1685067739348566016
Its the same with Messi vs Ronaldo
And DC versus Marvel
Likely a harmless mistake, but we’ll see.
Seems like they jumped the gun.
Ahhh I noticed you just beat me to it haha, must have posted whilst I was typing
Having said that, I can still see the current consoles being supported well into the future, and this announcement will be more of an update on where their games will be available rather than exiting the hardware side. Could be Gamepass on PS5, publishing their games on other consoles or cloud gaming on different devices. Might be a combination of all three.
It's no different to those individuals who are fanatical about a sports team.