Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set to be the big console and Game Pass exclusive for Xbox this fall, but new reports say it won’t be long before it comes to PlayStation 5 as well. The port has been rumored for months and is the latest Xbox game to lose its exclusivity as part of Microsoft’s new multiplatform push.
Indiana Joneswhich is being developed by Machine Games, the studio best known for the 2014 game. Wolfenstein: The New Order and its sequel do not have an official release date yet, but are expected to release on Xbox and PC in late 2024. According to podcaster and industry expert Nate The Hatethe game will only have a short window of console exclusivity before it hits PS5 in the first half of 2025. His claim is backed up by Insider Gaming Reports that this news has already been shared with some media outlets under a non-disclosure agreement.
Earlier this year, Microsoft shocked its fans with the news that four of its previously exclusive first-party games, including Sea of Thieves And Hi-Fi noisewould appear on PS5. At the time, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said there were no plans for other games, including Starfield And Indiana Jonesto become even more cross-platform.
But as The edge and others have reported In the months since, nothing is currently off the table when it comes to which Xbox Studios games could lose their exclusivity status. While this is good news for players who would otherwise not have access to them, it has also left Xbox players feeling abandoned and worried about the future of the platform as pressure mounts to maintain profit margins following the acquisition of Call of Duty Publisher Activision Blizzard.
Indiana Joneswhich is based on a license from Disney, was a major point of contention in the FTC process on this merger last yearwith the regulator pointing to the exclusivity as evidence of the dangers of industry consolidation. Pete Hines, Bethesda’s then-head of publishing, argued that exclusivity led to better games because it gave studios more time and resources to optimize projects for one platform rather than several.
Hines was also one of the Bethesda executives who expressed the greatest frustration internally that the company’s games became exclusive titles after the acquisition by Microsoft, while franchises such as Call of Duty would remain cross-platform. He retired at the end of last year. Arkanes bladeanother licensed game currently being developed by a Bethesda-owned studio, was also reserved about the lack of announced exclusivity, and Doom: The Dark Ages was already announced as a multiplatform game during the Xbox Showcase release earlier this summer.
As part of its new approach, Microsoft is reportedly also considering the huge sci-fi role-playing game Starfield on PS5. Its DLC expansion, Shattered Spacewill also be released in the fall. Xbox is expected to release a number of Announcements at Gamescom this weekWe’ll see if there are any more PS5 ports among them.
Update: 08/19/24, 4:30 PM ET: With the note that the next Doom will also be released for the PS5.
