During the latest official Xbox podcast, the company’s CEO, Phil Spencer, discussed the new direction his company is taking, which involves releasing its exclusive games on other platforms. He revealed that they will start with 4 games that have been on the market for over a year. However, he clarified that this is by no means the radical shift speculated on social media but rather a test. If they see good results, they will likely expand the list of titles under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella to be released on rival consoles.
Which Xbox Games Are No Longer Exclusive?
Pentiment
The first game to drop its Xbox exclusivity is Pentiment, an intriguing narrative adventure title with exquisite graphics that successfully recreates the aesthetics of medieval manuscripts and engravings. Coupled with an excellent narrative, it has garnered immense praise from critics. Originally launched on November 15, 2022, for Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC via the Microsoft Store, it was announced during the latest Nintendo Direct that it would arrive on Nintendo Switch on February 22. On the same day, it was also released on the PlayStation Store for both PS4 and PS5. Those looking to purchase the physical format must pre-order it from Limited Run Games before March 24. The price of this edition is €35 on any console.
Grounded
Another title announced during the latest Nintendo Direct to arrive on Nintendo Switch, also developed by Obsidian, is the fantastic Grounded. This cooperative survival game will see even more activity with the inclusion of Nintendo and PlayStation users. Starting April 16, it will be available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5, making the backyard more crowded than ever.
Hi-Fi Rush
After a year of success, the latest game from Tango Gameworks, the studio founded by Shinji Mikami (creator of the Resident Evil saga), is coming to PS5. During its time as an Xbox exclusive, it captured the attention of both the general public and the press. Without a doubt, it was one of last year’s biggest surprises, earning multiple accolades, including 5 nominations at The Game Awards 2023. It won the award for Best Audio Design and also took home the Audio category award at the prestigious CEDEC Awards. Starting March 19, PS5 users will rock out to the max while defeating hordes of enemies to the rhythm of the music in this brilliant rhythm-based hack-and-slash game.
Sea of Thieves
The best pirate game of all time will dock on PS5 on April 30, marking an unprecedented milestone as it will be the first Rare game released on a PlayStation platform. Interestingly, in the nearly 40-year history of the British studio, no titles have been published on any Sony console, making this event a significant step in broadening the reach of Sea of Thieves and Rare as a studio. Another historic event tied to this release is that it will be the first PlayStation game to require a Microsoft account to play. This makes sense as it enables cross-play functionality and includes cross-save, ensuring that players’ progress is preserved no matter which devices they use to play.
