Microsoft confirms Xbox games are coming to PS5 at upcoming showcase
▼ Summary
– Fable reboot, a Playground Games title, is delayed to early 2027 to avoid launching near GTA 6 and is one of several Xbox games also coming to PS5.
– Xbox CEO Asha Sharma faces strong community demand to return to Xbox-exclusive games, a hot topic on the Player Voice forum.
– RAM shortages from AI growth limit console supply, making it risky for Microsoft to restrict Xbox Game Studios titles to its own platforms.
– Xbox will continue to advertise multiplatform availability of its games during the Xbox Games Showcase on June 7, a controversial decision.
– Critics argue Microsoft’s strategy of promoting games on competing platforms during its own showcase undermines its brand focus, unlike Sony and Nintendo’s approach.
Ever since former Xbox head Phil Spencer retired earlier this year and Asha Sharma took over as the new Xbox CEO, the community’s most urgent demand has been the return of Xbox-exclusive games. That push has dominated discussions on the new Xbox Player Voice feedback forum and became so prominent that Sharma responded multiple times. Initially, she hinted at potential change by saying “the plan is the plan until it’s not the plan,” and later promised she’d “make some calls” after careful deliberation.
Bringing exclusives back is far from simple for Microsoft. The ongoing RAM shortages driven by the rise of AI have severely limited supply for gaming consoles, making it risky to restrict where players can access Xbox Game Studios titles in the current market.
Many hoped Microsoft would at least stop highlighting its games’ availability on competing platforms during its own Xbox presentations. That’s why the confirmation that it will continue to show multiplatform availability during the Xbox Games Showcase on June 7 has stirred up controversy.
“Yes, absolutely. We’ll be very clear about what platforms a game is coming to, and we want to continue that precedent,” said Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty during a recent official Xbox podcast episode. “I think we’ve got a good system going where we make it clear in the Showcase.”
Some community members argue that being transparent about multiplatform releases is commendable. But a strong sentiment persists that Microsoft is undercutting its own brand by broadcasting PS5 availability during its own event.
“It’s weird dude. It’s like Pepsi Max having an advert then at the end saying oh btw you can buy Coke Zero instead,” one fan replied.
Prominent community figure Klobrille added: “Saying ‘It reflects a decision to be deliberate in how we show up for the players who care most about this brand’ while showing competitive platforms at your brand’s Anniversary Showcase a week later does not line up to me.”
Personally, I don’t think this is a huge deal in the grand scheme. These games are multiplatform whether Microsoft advertises it or not. But I agree with those who see this as a poor marketing strategy, especially since Sony and Nintendo don’t mention other platforms in their own showcases.
Asha Sharma’s ambitious plan to make Xbox “where the world plays” won’t happen overnight. It will require major long-term strategic shifts. In the short term, however, Microsoft would benefit by putting its own Xbox platforms front and center instead of signaling that you don’t need one to play its titles.
What’s your take on Microsoft advertising availability on other platforms during the Xbox Games Showcase? Share your thoughts in the comments and our poll.
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(Source: Windows Central)
