It’s surprising how quickly it’s no longer become a surprise when Xbox first-party titles are casually announced for the PS5. At The Game Awards last week, The Outer Worlds 2 was announced for Sony’s system, after the Obsidian sequel was previously only expected on Xbox and PC.
While there’s still inconsistency between which platforms projects deploy on – Avowed, for example, the new intellectual property from the aforementioned studio will launch as a console exclusive – it’s becoming increasingly clear that Microsoft is transitioning into a third-party publisher.
And if you’re still in denial, CEO Satya Nadella said as part of a recent investor Q&A that his company is focused on building the “best games that can be enjoyed by gamers everywhere”.
To be fair, he was speaking specifically about Microsoft’s current “this is an Xbox” campaign, which tries to communicate the idea that you can stream select titles on your smartphone, television, or laptop computer.