ISSUE NO. 2
This is the latest in a series of guest columns from Pure Xbox, a loyal community dedicated to all things Team Green. We bring you all the biggest news from the world of Xbox, as well as features, polls, talking points, reviews and so much more!
Many Xbox fans have been wondering whether one of the 'big three' Xbox franchises – Halo, Gears or Forza – would eventually make their way over to PS5. It turns out Forza Horizon 5 is the first to make the jump, having been officially revealed for Sony's current-gen system with a Spring 2025 release window. Unsurprisingly, fans have been very opinionated about the announcement ever since it dropped.
There's even heartbreak over the decision to move such a treasured Xbox exclusive over to its rival console, but truthfully it's something we've been expecting for a while now. If you read between the lines, Phil Spencer and the team at Xbox have subtly tried to inform us about the "no red lines" rule when it comes to exclusives these days, which most likely means that Halo, Gears, Starfield and many other Xbox franchises will be heading to PS5 and possibly even Nintendo Switch 2 sooner or later.
But why do this? Why risk alienating loyal fans who have aligned themselves with the Xbox brand because of its exclusives? The answer almost certainly lies in the numbers. We've seen time and again how hardware revenue has declined for Microsoft, while income from Xbox content and services has increased. It's no wonder the company's priorities have shifted. This change in strategy means Xbox can focus more on becoming a publishing behemoth while also making its games accessible to more players on all platforms.
Earlier this year Spencer talked about Xbox having "evolved" its identity in order to continue thriving amidst challenging times for the industry. Furthermore, he believes Xbox's new approach would be best adopted by the masses, to allow major developers and publishers to keep making high-budget AAA games. Moon Studios CEO Thomas Mahler recently agreed with this idea, suggesting that, due to rising game development costs, the industry can only grow if it starts reducing its reliance on exclusives.
Of course, it helps when those former Xbox exclusives actually sell in big numbers. Back in February 2024, Xbox announced that Hi-Fi RUSH, Sea Of Thieves, Pentiment and Grounded would be heading to other systems, and we quickly discovered PlayStation and Nintendo owners had an appetite for games they previously couldn't play. Sea of Thieves, in particular, has become a massive success on PS5, and Microsoft hasn't been shy in highlighting that fact. That said, there was also criticism for suggesting only four titles would make the jump, which inevitably was never going to be the case once PlayStation owners started flocking to them in droves.
And that is the biggest issue I have with Xbox's new strategy at this point. Xbox has embarked on a major marketing campaign claiming every device "is an Xbox", and everyone seems to have understood that message by now. However, it's never really explained what's happening with games going to PS5 and Switch. Initially it was four games, followed by a couple more, and eventually it might (okay, probably will) be Xbox's entire catalogue. Xbox fans still don't have a truly clear picture of what to anticipate, aside from rumours and the occasional hint from Phil Spencer.
Will Microsoft be able to sell hardware without major exclusives as a sweetener, and can Xbox Game Pass shift enough systems on its own?
“
Forza Horizon 5's debut on PS5 may feel like a new era or even the beginning of the end for some Xbox fans, but really it's just the evolution of a strategy that's been underway for some time – a strategy that's set to be very profitable in 2025. The multiplatform push is in full swing, and even though Microsoft clearly doesn't want to give us much of a roadmap, we're bound to see more Xbox first-party titles on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 and other platforms before the end of the year. It'll be fantastic from a business and industry perspective, but obviously sad for those who'd prefer Xbox to keeps its games down as exclusives.
There's also no telling how it'll fare in the long run. What happens when the next Xbox console rolls around? What about the Xbox handheld? Will Microsoft be able to sell hardware without major exclusives as a sweetener, and can Xbox Game Pass shift enough systems on its own? I have no doubt Phil Spencer has thought about these questions and more and, hopefully, has answers to them. But there's a feeling of unease throughout the Xbox community right now, and Xbox will have to work harder than ever to keep its loyal fans coming back in the future. I just hope that's enough because Xbox is changing, forever.
Fraser Gilbert is the Editor of Pure Xbox.
