At yesterday’s Gamescom presser, Bethesda revealed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to PlayStation 5 sometime in spring 2025 after its initial December launch on Xbox and PC. For Xbox head Phil Spencer, taking the title multiplatform is for the good of the brand.
On a livestream following the event, Spencer explained the decision was in part spurred by the alleged success of games like Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves on PS5 and Nintendo Switch ports earlier this year. And if Xbox games are going to be “as strong as possible,” more will need to go multiplatform.
“Our end result has to be better games that more people can play,” he continued. “If we’re not focused on that, I think we’re focused on the wrong things.”
Indiana Jones was one of two Bethesda games that initially had PS5 versions in the works before Microsoft bought the company. Those were then killed, which complicates the situation and highlights the odd place Xbox has been put in with its many acquisitions in recent years.
Another wrinkle is Xbox’s various attempts to grow its base. In mid-September, it will introduce a new tier (and price hike) to Xbox Game Pass that ditches day one access to its first-party lineup, which itself comes ahead of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 joining the service.
With companies “looking for ways to grow,” Xbox’s multiplatform approach may be around for a while. Spencer said all studios “have to anticipate more change in how some of the traditional ways that games were built and distributed.”
“For us as Xbox, [the] health of Xbox, health of our platform, and our growing games, [those are the] most important things.”