Amidst the talk of Microsoft porting some of its first-party Xbox games over to different platforms, a new report claims that the rhythm-action game Hi-Fi Rush and the RPG Pentiment will be the first Xbox exclusives to go multiplatform soon. Rare’s Sea of Thieves will also be going to other consoles afterwards but it will apparently only be later this year.
According to The Verge’s Tom Warren, Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment will be the first two Xbox exclusives to go multiplatform after this week’s business update from Microsoft. If the report is accurate, then it seems like Xbox will start off with smaller titles first before moving its big exclusives over to other platforms like PlayStation and Nintendo.
Warren states in the article:
“The first two games that are set to appear on rival consoles are Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment, according to sources. Microsoft is also currently planning to launch Sea of Thieves on non-Xbox platforms later this year, with other first-party titles also under consideration. Launching Xbox games on PlayStation or Nintendo Switch is a seismic shift in strategy, and not one that Microsoft will have taken lightly. It will give Microsoft more reach for its first-party games and an opportunity to generate more gaming revenue, but it also comes with plenty of risks.”
Warren goes on to state that the growth of Xbox Game Pass, which Microsoft has been banking heavily in this generation as its key selling point, wasn’t expanding at the rate the company was expecting. This could’ve led to the decision to port its exclusives over to other platforms which can only generate more revenue for Xbox but it comes at the risk of alienating Xbox players or those who will fail to see the purpose of purchasing an Xbox apart from the convenience of Game Pass.
These factors have likely been weighed and considered by Microsoft so we’ll have to see what the company has to say this Thursday, when it’s set to host a special podcast detailing its future plans.
Source: The Verge