Microsoft announced in February that it would bring four Xbox-exclusive titles to rival platforms from Sony and Nintendo. It doesn’t look like the company will stop at releasing four first-person games on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. According to a new report, Xbox’s parent company plans to bring more games to multiple platforms. The project, known internally as “Latitude,” is said to have more Xbox first-person titles in development for the PS5 in the future.
The Windows Central report didn’t name any Xbox titles for a PS5 release, but it does include “obviously potential games” that are expected to release on the rival platform. “Upcoming Microsoft-owned games planned for PlayStation are in development,” the report said.
While Microsoft plans to release exclusive titles on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch in February, it says its biggest exclusives, like Bethesda’s Starfield or Indiana Jones Future, won’t be coming to PS5. However, a new report suggests that Microsoft is ready to take a more open approach to releasing games on rival platforms. “…Microsoft wants there to be no ‘red lines’ when it comes to games for PlayStation, and it’s all in the hands of Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood,” the report said.
The company is working on plans to bring more games to Sony and Nintendo consoles, but the Latitude didn’t come without internal controversy. The plan has sparked controversy and concern at Microsoft and raised questions about its merits, the report said.
As part of its announcements earlier this year, Microsoft has already released Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded and Sea of Thieves on competing consoles, indicating a strategy shift towards exclusivity. The announcement of additional upcoming games for PS5 and Nintendo Switch underscores the company’s efforts to find new players for its games beyond its Xbox ecosystem.
Microsoft’s gaming division gained significant momentum last year with its $69 billion acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard, but Xbox has struggled to reap the rewards of its studio expansion. The company announced last week that it would close three of its studios and acquire another to shift focus to priority games. Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, Redfall developer Arkane Austin and Mighty Doom mobile developer Alpha Dog Games have closed, and Roundhouse Studios, which also developed Redfall, has closed ZeniMax. Online studios are attracted.
Following the shutdown, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft plans to cut more jobs at Xbox and that the company has begun offering voluntary severance agreements for manufacturers, quality assurance testers and other employees of parent company Bethesda.
Microsoft has not yet made an official statement on the reports of studio closures and layoffs, but the company plans to hold an Xbox Games Showcase event on June 9 where it will preview its list of exclusive and third-party titles to announce.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.