Era of Xbox console exclusive ‘is over’ claims insider – all games coming to PS5-Michael Beckwith-Entertainment – Metro

Fable’s only listed for an Xbox and PC release, but that may well only be temporary (Xbox Games Studios)

Microsoft may have several Xbox exclusives still on the docket, but a new rumour says this won’t last and they’ll come to PS5 eventually.

Despite Microsoft working on new Xbox hardware, which includes a dedicated handheld device, you can’t blame anyone for feeling the company is deprioritising Xbox consoles and potentially transitioning into becoming a third party publisher.

Not only has Microsoft been eagerly promoting how you can access Xbox games without even needing the console, but this year has seen the company bring what were once major console exclusives over to other platforms.

Although Microsoft hasn’t gone so far as to say it’s ditching console exclusivities entirely, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has publicly suggested exclusivity is a bad thing, and now a new rumour is claiming the days of Xbox-only releases are pretty much over.

This comes courtesy of Windows Central’s Jez Corden, a regular source of inside info regarding the Xbox brand. Having already once claimed that all previous first party Xbox games would eventually make the jump to PlayStation, Corden is now saying you should expect any and all future Xbox releases to follow suit.

When someone on X questioned why Microsoft seemed to be cherry picking which of its Xbox games would remain exclusives (such as Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 and South Of Midnight), Corden answered, ‘They’re all coming to PlayStation over time.’

He added: ‘[Microsoft] don’t want to just mandate it on teams that aren’t set up yet for multiplatform simultaneous development. But the era of Xbox having permanent console exclusives is over.’

If you’ve been paying attention to Microsoft’s actions, this only sounds more plausible (X)

It’s not clear whether this means Microsoft will continue with an Xbox first, everywhere else later approach to its games (like it’s doing with Indiana Jones And The Great Circle) or transition into simultaneous multiplatform launches.

Regardless, as a self-professed Xbox fan, Corden wouldn’t make such a claim lightly, and Microsoft’s actions this past year are the perfect evidence to support it.

Not to mention, the only Microsoft published game to be shown off during The Game Awards 2024 was The Outer Worlds 2, which was immediately confirmed to be a multiplatform title for 2025.

Speaking of The Game Awards, Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb dropped his own Xbox rumour during a reaction livestream (at the 21:58 mark), claiming to have heard that one of Microsoft’s big 2025 releases has slipped into 2026.

He couldn’t confirm which one it is but another insider, NateTheDrake, has separately said everything Microsoft has dated for a 2025 launch is on track to come out on time. If that’s the case, this rules out the likes of Fable and Doom: The Dark Ages.

This would mean whatever’s been pushed back was never publicly slated to come out next year, but Microsoft was secretly aiming for a 2025 release. The best fit for that logic is the Perfect Dark reboot, which would make sense given its reportedly rough development.

Perfect Dark did pop up at this year’s Xbox summer showcase with new gameplay, but no launch window (Microsoft)

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