Several leaks point to the launch in 2024 of several games developed by Microsoft on PlayStation 5. A radical change in strategy which generates a lot of discussion online.
Fans of the Xbox brand had a rather difficult end to the weekend on social networks. Several clusters of clues point to a very radical change in the history of Xbox. The manufacturer could launch several of its major exclusives on competing consoles in 2024, in particular the PlayStation 5.
Facts
Several sources point in the same direction and have published articles in recent days concerning these multiplatform ports. First of all the specialized site XboxEra states that the game Starfield would be scheduled for launch on PlayStation 5 in 2024. The release would be scheduled for after the launch of the game’s first DLC on PC and Xbox. Microsoft would have invested in PlayStation 5 development kits to finance the ports in question. In the meantime, it’s Hi-Fi Rush which would be about to be launched on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, from this first quarter of 2024.
For its part, the site The Verge claims internal discussions at Microsoft regarding potential game launch Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PlayStation, several months after its Xbox launch. This game was the subject of a presentation at the beginning of the year and its launch is planned exclusively on Xbox and PC for the end of 2024. In addition, clues in the latest update of the game Hi-Fi Rush point well towards the launch of the game on competing consoles.
Finally, the specialized site Windows Central also claims to have had echoes since December of multiplatform porting for certain Microsoft successes such as Sea of Thieves.
Bethesda at the center of an internal war?
When we have all these elements in hand, we can begin to analyze what is undoubtedly happening at Microsoft. With the exception of Sea of Thieves, all the games mentioned in these rumors are games from Bethesda. This is not trivial in more than one way. First of all, Bethesda is one, like Activision Blizzard, of the two big publishers bought in recent years by Microsoft. It is historically a multiplatform publisher, which was forced to publish its games exclusively on Xbox. A strategic choice that raised eyebrows, as revealed in documents from the trial against the FTC during the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In particular because the latter, also a multiplatform publisher, had the right to other treatments from Microsoft. We can therefore imagine a change in strategy which would only affect the publisher bought for $8 billion in 2021.
Another point to highlight: this is clearly an intense debate internally at Microsoft. All articles point to discussions and deep disagreements about what to do next among Xbox executives. In this context, the leaks are probably not innocent. Certain executives were able to communicate information to journalists to force the publication of these debates to the general public and to be able to gather general opinion. A way to guide internal discussions or force the brand to communicate.
A new Xbox strategy?
The publication of these rumors has already had the effect of a bomb on social networks and has created numerous discussions between Xbox and PlayStation fans. So we have a real surprise effect. You have to look at the Xbox situation to understand these discussions. First of all, in terms of console sales, Microsoft is now keeping its distance from PlayStation and Nintendo, dead last. Despite the brand’s efforts, the Xbox Series S and
The firm recently published financial results for the quarter covering Christmas and end-of-year promotions, Xbox console growth was very weak despite a price drop to 400 euros for the Series X and the launch of Starfield. In short, the game console activity at Microsoft is doing very badly. Not counting the 1900 layoffs. Besides that, the firm is now at the head of a huge video game publishing empire. Between Activision Blizzard, Bethesda and Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft is the largest video game publisher in the Western world today.
We can draw several theories for the future of Xbox based on these trends.
Scenario A: only Bethesda is affected
The scenario that involves the least profound change for Microsoft. In fact, the firm is content to align Bethesda’s editorial strategy with that of Activision Blizzard. You find yourself with a two-headed entity: on one side Xbox and Xbox Game Studios which develop the game console and exclusives for the latter, and on the other side Activision Blizzard Bethesda which plays the role of third party first party publisher.
Scenario B: Xbox exclusives become temporary
Second hypothesis, Microsoft is indeed making a radical change in strategy and is making the decision to now publish its games on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, when the latter can run the game. We find ourselves in a new economic model where Microsoft is exclusively launching a game on its Xbox platform for 12 months, with day one availability on Xbox Game Pass. Twelve months after launch, the game is released on competing consoles at 80 euros each. This keeps an advantage for fans of the Xbox console: they benefit from twelve months in advance and availability in the subscription service.
This hypothesis resembles Sony’s new strategy with its PlayStation Studios games. Several years after the launch on PlayStation console, Sony now publishes its games on PC through Steam. A second life for the game which allows you to generate significant income.
Scenario C: Microsoft exits the game console market
This is the scenario that runs through the heads of many. This change in strategy would be the first stone in Microsoft’s withdrawal from the game console market. It wouldn’t be the first time in video game history. Before Xbox, there was Sega which decided in the early 2000s to abandon its Dreamcast to become a simple video game publisher. Is the scenario about to repeat itself with Microsoft? Not so fast.
At this point, this scenario seems rather unlikely. The launch of a few Bethesda games after their exclusive launches is not enough to consider a complete abandonment of Microsoft on the game console market. There would certainly be economic logic for the firm to let go of its console, given the low sales, and become a publisher of video games on PlayStation and Nintendo console. But that would be to forget that there is a logic to remaining present.
A game console is a very heavy investment for a company, but it is a way of partly maintaining control over the market. For example, this automatically creates a platform where Game Pass is allowed, while Sony and Nintendo close their doors. Recently, Satya Nadella, the boss of Microsoft, confessed to regretting the abandonment of Windows Phone. Not because the businessman dreamed of being the great champion of the smartphone, Apple and Android were too far ahead, but because the firm had lost the platform on which it could have promoted services like Microsoft Copilot.
Microsoft must communicate
One thing is certain, discussions on the Internet around the future of Xbox are once again very lively. Microsoft had, however, managed to reassure with its successive acquisitions about its ambition to remain in video games. The firm must now once again demonstrate whether or not it wishes to remain in the console market and what strategy it intends to adopt.
We can expect an official reaction from Sarah Bond, president of Xbox, or Phil Spencer, president of Microsoft Gaming, in the coming hours.