Microsoft's Shift to Multiplatform Strategy: Expanding Horizons and Rethinking Console Exclusives

In its ongoing battle with the FTC over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the Call of Duty IP, Microsoft emphasized that it had no intention of making Call of Duty exclusive, arguing that exclusivity is detrimental to the business. Fast forward to 2024, and Microsoft has taken a bold step further by expanding its portfolio of multiplatform games, bringing titles like Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and Grounded to competing consoles. Additionally, big titles such as Forza Horizon 5, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Indiana Jones have also been confirmed for release on PlayStation 5.
In a recent appearance on the Xbox Podcast, Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan shared that this shift towards multiplatform releases is “good for gamers” and “good for our studios.” Microsoft’s new philosophy is to give its first-party games the opportunity to reach the broadest possible audience, which means broadening its scope beyond its own Xbox consoles to include platforms like PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
There’s even speculation that Fable, which has been delayed from 2025 to 2026, was initially intended to release on PS5 next year. The expectation now is that Fable could be one of the first Xbox-exclusive titles to launch simultaneously on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 5, signaling a shift away from the timed exclusivity model that Microsoft has employed with games like Indiana Jones and The Great Circle. However, there’s a catch: Microsoft still aims to sell Xbox consoles and is planning for a new generation of hardware, raising questions about the long-term viability of this new strategy. It’s a shift that mirrors SEGA’s past approach, and one that leaves open questions about the future of dedicated gaming consoles in Microsoft’s ecosystem.
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