Microsoft Games Are Going Third Party (Hi-Fi Rush/Pentiment/Sea of Thieves/Grounded release dates confirmed)

[Rozalia1]

Update: 21 February 2024

Confirmation: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2024/02/21/new-platforms-new-players-xbox-games-switch-playstation/

 

Pentiment: February 22 2024

Hi-Fi RUSH: March 19 2024

Grounded: April 16 2024

Sea of Thieves: April 30 2024

 

Update: 15 February 2024

Xbox Business Update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGlD9SO3rKU

 

https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/15/24073691/microsoft-xbox-games-ps5-nintendo-switch-exclusivity

According to the Verge who Microsoft puts out a lot of their stuff on, the games are: Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded. Starfield and Indiana Jones were outright said to not be among the 4, but when asked if Spencer would rule them out he stated that he wouldn't. The reality of the matter is that it makes no sense to be porting just those games. They are games that gave Xbox flavour and aren't something that are expected to be big sellers on other platforms. So for a minor amount of money Microsoft is going to damage Xbox? Possible I suppose, Xbox is run heavily incompetently, but the more likely reason is that they're playing a PR game where they dangled the worse case scenario out for their fanbase and now have presented this softer scenario to stop the anger and make them happy that it 'only' those 4. This is not the first time that Spencer has played this game, having done it with Xbox games coming to PC: https://www.pcgamesn.com/gears-of-war/phil-spencer-says-not-every-xbox-game-will-come-to-pc. As we know, every Xbox game is day and date on PC.

 

Anti-exclusive talk from Spencer

In the article Spencer also once again attacks exclusives by saying:

 

Quote

“We know today when people are playing, their affinity for their platform is as much about their friends and where their games library is as it is any kind of one exclusive game. I know there’s this fictitious world where people think that one exclusive game kind of kicks off the sales of a platform, but the industry just doesn’t really work that way today.”

 

Spikes for PlayStation and Nintendo when big games come out? Just coincidences apparently. This is to not even mention that even if an exclusive might by itself not move consoles, it can do so together with other exclusives.

 

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/02/microsoft-exec-on-helldivers-2-im-not-sure-who-it-helps-by-not-being-on-xbox

 

In this one Spencer straight up port-begs for Helldivers 2 like some random forum poster. He doesn't understand who it helps for Helldivers 2 to not be on Xbox. Obviously it helps Sony, and Spencer knows this, but people need to realise that it is all about the narratives for Microsoft. This combined with the previous matter regarding exclusives selling consoles, there is good odds that such a thing will form the basis of their next astroturfed attack on PlayStation. If you start seeing talk of exclusives being 'anti-consumer' start popping up more then you can be sure where it is coming from. Another element in all this would be to attempt to trick Sony/Nintendo into being tricked by them on this. Jim Ryan to his credit never fell for Microsoft's traps, but with him gone we'll have to see how new management does things. The currently guy in place is temporary so we'll need to see how it goes with the guy who gets put in place afterwards.

 

Game Pass grew due to Gold conversions, but declined if you discount that

Also we got Game Pass numbers at last. 34 million, up from 25 million from years back. Microsoft essentially had to reveal the number at some point and there is no better time with the inclusion of Core. The 34 million number will be put out as a positive number by their army and some will no doubt be fooled. In actuality, with this number including the converted Xbox Gold users, it means we now have confirmation that Game Pass contracted since the last time they provided numbers. So for all these years not only did they not increase, but they lost a couple of million subscribers. Considering they set 100 (!!!) million as a target by 2027 I believe it was, the amount of growth they'd need to reach that is astronomical. 

 

----

https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/1/24058610/it-looks-like-hi-fi-rush-is-coming-to-ps5-and-nintendo-switch

https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/4/24057433/microsoft-bethesda-indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-ps5-release

https://xboxera.com/2024/02/04/exclusive-microsoft-plans-starfield-launch-for-playstation-5/

 

It appears that ABK has not gone down well for the glutton that is Xbox, and they're now vomiting everything up.

 

Those who have heard of some of the recent gaming news have likely picked up on the leaks/rumours out there about Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, and so forth going third party. Well there have been further leaks, and now even the Xbox aligned shills, set up to get information from Microsoft so they can prepare the fanbase, are confirming. It will not simply be smaller titles either. Starfield, their most notable game will be coming. Halo looks to be coming too down the line. Indiana Jones, their currently most hyped game (that Microsoft outright paid to make exclusive) is apparently going to come with possibly some minor timed exclusivity (1-2 months). Then you have the case of Blade, an expected exclusive which oddly never got stated as being one by Microsoft, and this explains why.

 

It is expected that Sarah Bond will make an announcement in the Spring (could happen earlier due to backlash) where these credible leaks will be confirmed. Phil Spencer who has been silent for a long time appears to be sending her out there to take the hits from angry Xbox fans, who hopefully, as easily fooled as they are, will be smart enough to realise she has nothing to do with it and it is all on Phil Spencer. Speaking to those people, if they happen to view this post for whatever reason, it ain't the fault of anybody but Phil Spencer. Big bad Sony isn't the reason that Xbox has fallen apart. Don Mattrick who is constantly blamed for everything is not to blame. Phil Spencer has been in charge for 10 years. It was under him that Series S|X launched with 0! exclusives. It was under him that they created the money pit that is Game Pass. It was under him that the calamitous day and date policy was created, that in court they finally had to admit has cannibalised their game sales. It was under him that they decided to have the wise idea to outright tell people they didn't need to buy an Xbox or heck any games at all, just get Game Pass. It was under him that numerous total incompetents in Xbox management were not only kept on year after year, but got promoted. It was under him that Xbox owned studios were largely behind schedule, over budget, and of shoddy quality. It was under him that the Series S was produced which has only caused problems for them. It was under him that the Series X was created to only be comparable to the PS5 and yet costs far more to produce. Oh, but what of the money men such as Tim Stuart and Satya Nadella? They don't understand gaming and are behind all of this so aren't they to blame? No. Put this into perspective. They gave Spencer a decade and massive amounts of capital, not just in the buyouts, but in allowing Xbox to be the money pit that it is been all this time (they hide the numbers for a reason, and the numbers are likely far worse than even the worse predictions). They burned up Microsoft's accumulated good boy points with regulators all for Xbox. They're only now taking charge after being made to look like money mark fools for going along with Phil Spencer's nonsense.

 

Update February 5th: As predicted they will be doing it sooner than they had planned, https://x.com/XboxP3/status/1754598552548904973?s=20. They'll be talking about it at a 'business update event' next week.

 

I will keep this updated as the story develops. Below are my personal views on certain subjects that relate to this massive news story. Skip them if you want, but I do think they paint an accurate assessment of the situation.

 

Why is this happening?

Because those who have been talking of Xbox being a failure have been right. All the defences that game sales don't matter, that console sales don't matter, that game pass is somehow sustainable and successful, that all the hidden business numbers for Xbox don't mean a thing, they have all been lies. Anyone who pays attention, blocks out the astroturfing/shilling, and can put two and two together, quickly realises that Xbox's business is a horror show that only continues to exist thanks to Microsoft being willing to fund it regardless of any losses. After spending around 100 billion on acquisitions to zero positive effect in their head to head fight against PlayStation, Microsoft management is finally taking charge. Also, remember the talk that ABK was going to lead to Microsoft being a powerhouse on mobile and able to compete with Apple? Even that has failed because Apple has gotten around the EU's efforts to open up their store and crippled any attempt Microsoft might make on mobile to leech off Apple.

 

ABK, which Team Green championed as what would allow Xbox to compete, is ironically what has done Xbox in. Phil Spencer and his team at Xbox are warriors who very much want to take it to Sony and make ABK, like Bethesda before them, exclusive. Such a move predictably sees their bought up studios have the money they make plummet as not only do their games no longer sell on other console platforms, but by being day 1 on Game Pass their sales fall apart even further. Some such games have managed to use Steam to cover some of the damage, but most are not able to. The problem with ABK is their sheer scale. After spending 75 billion (6 billion was added on top in fees) on ABK, Microsoft management do not want to risk seeing that value they bought up get ruined by Xbox. What those who wonder 'Why don't they at least try to have ABK exclusive first' don't realise is that Microsoft has a string of evidence that tells them that an exclusive ABK won't turn things around. Starfield being the latest such case, with the game doing nothing for Xbox's fortunes, after Microsoft management had been told that it releasing on PS5 would have meant +10 million sales.

 

What does this mean for Xbox?

Numerous Xbox influencers who put out a lot of toxicity are incredibly shocked and angry at the news, with many outright stating that they'll be doing away with their Xbox branding. According to one of the leakers such a thing is expected by Microsoft. How it was said was something along the lines of them knowing they'll lose 1% of their fanbase, the real hardcores, but it'll be irrelevant for everyone else. Those who buy Xbox consoles today will simply continue to buy them, meaning Microsoft can simply make more money with PlayStation/Nintendo with no real loss on their own platform. Now, to many who read this such a thing seems crazy. Surely Microsoft doesn't actually believe this? Something people should have, and need to realise, is that these companies can be complete out of touch fools. Microsoft with Xbox alone has blundered constantly in their decisions.

 

If you have an Xbox as a secondary console then you may well wish to look into selling it. If the Xbox consoles are killed off, be it directly or indirectly, then the selling value of the Xbox, which apparently is not great to begin with, will only plummet further. If Xbox is your main console or only have it, are big into achievements, and reading this? Damn, starting again like that is rough. Just remember that it ain't about the leaderboard. Trophy hunting is more about getting 100% on the stuff you play, getting the most out of the game, instead of necessarily making your numbers go high.

 

There has been some talk that Microsoft may try to do a Xbox PC or Handheld. Essentially scamming other companies into taking on all the costs for such devices and then paying Microsoft to slap the (horrid) Xbox branding on it. As it would essentially be free money for Microsoft they may well do it yes, but failure is essentially certain so it'll be a short term thing.

 

What does this mean for PlayStation?

Now some will wish to frame this as a negative for those who game on PlayStation. That competition is being lost and that automatically is a bad thing. No. Just because something is usually true does not mean that it always is. Microsoft is known to be poison in any industry they enter. Numerous negative things that are normal today and we simply have to accept as facts of life are a result of Microsoft. Paid online, platforms paying for timed exclusives, so forth were brought about by Microsoft. The only real positive we can give them is that they caused PlayStation to realise sooner that they needed a strong first party like Nintendo, but even that has an asterisk as Nintendo would have likely caused PlayStation to realise that anyway.

 

Xbox being around has not stopped Sony raising prices, which as negative as that sounds, everybody has had to due to inflation if nothing else. If Xbox hardware is discontinued it will not prompt PlayStation to price the PS6 at 2000, no. PlayStation actually wants to sell consoles and Nintendo/PC/Mobile/others are all varying levels of competition. Then you have the talk of no Xbox leading to less innovation, but which could well lead to the reverse to occur. There is much talk of an ARM based console in the future for example, something that could well lead to backwards compatibility only being possible via streaming, and which is much less riskier if Xbox is out of the picture. In terms of 1st party games, they make PlayStation plenty of money as we know so why cut them? Not to mention, again, they still have competition from others on the game front, most notably Nintendo.

 

What of Microsoft's games?

There has been a narrative out there among Team Green that there is something called a 'Xbox Tax' in effect. Essentially that their games are actually all great (except massive bombs they can't deny), but there is some pro-Sony global conspiracy out there that rates down their games -10 or whatever just for being on Xbox. This of course is not only nonsense, but it actually goes the other way, an 'Xbox Subsidy' if you will. The gaming media has been pro-Xbox for many years, only relenting some post the PR nightmare that the ABK acquisition has been. Many reviewers straight up have felt sorry for Xbox and not been as harsh as they would have been on anyone else. Then you have the obvious paid shills. Xbox, with far less gamers, enjoys far more Xbox focused review sites out there than Sony or Nintendo does, likely even if you combine the two. On top of that Sony and Nintendo sites do not appear to operate as shill sites due to their reviews often being in lockstep with the overall average, with some actually being harsher on their sites main platforms than they are on Xbox. The point here is that these games getting ported to PlayStation will not suddenly make them good games. What will likely make them review better on PlayStation and come off nicer to players will be the fact that they'll launch with X years worth of patches attached and possibly even DLC packed in.

 

In terms of when these games will release. It is believed that the new games will have timed exclusivity at the moment, but it has been said it could even be as short as a month. The problem there is that such a thing is unlikely to hold. If the games aren't successful with such a delay then the money men will tell them to release them day and date. If the games are successful then the money men will tell them that they'll be even more successful releasing them day and date. In terms of when the older games will come, they should come over time and not all at once. Xbox is incompetent enough that if the ports were all ready to go on the same day they might well release them all at once, but the ports won't be, so they'll have little choice but to space them out.

 

Those who deserve thanks

Gamers: Microsoft meeting a defeat here should spell the end of their push to destroy the traditional gaming market with subscriptions, because the current Game Pass is failing as it is and without an Xbox should collapse entirely (it may continue as a EA Play/Ubisoft+ type service). Both PlayStation and Nintendo will maintain their subscriptions yes, but said subscriptions are largely catalogue services that aren't there to destroy the traditional gaming market like Game Pass was set up to do. Cloud has also taken a big blow with even Microsoft cutting their investment in it for gaming massively, hence why we've been hearing those stories of Xbox gamers having absolutely massive wait times to use Cloud gaming. Other industries have been really harmed by these things, but gaming has stood strong. For all the negativity thrown at gamers that exists out there, this is one of those times where gamers should be celebrated. Now you could say that Xbox gamers shouldn't be included in this, and you'd have a point. However, on the other hand you could say that it was Xbox gamers being so unwilling to hold Xbox to account for a decade that helped in causing Xbox to be the sheer failure that it has been. So they sort of played their own part, thanks guys.

 

Those who fought back against Microsoft's astroturfing and shills: While Microsoft's machine these days is meeting defeat after defeat, it wasn't this easy when it was in full flow and many were actually being fooled by Phil Spencer's snake oil of good guy Microsoft. Credit to all those who stood against the Microsoft backed toxicity put out there onto the internet.

 

PlayStation & Nintendo First Parties: Them being as good as they are played a big part in keeping the traditional gaming market strong in the face of Microsoft's attacks. PlayStation especially due to being more direct competition with Xbox.

 

Jim Ryan: Microsoft targeted him with their astroturfing and media shills. Many PlayStation gamers, some with their own reasons, others taken in by the astroturfing, attacked him. Microsoft tried to bait him into doing numerous policies that Xbox was doing that would have been disastrous for PlayStation, which he ignored. With all that noise and negativity out there, Jim Ryan remained focused and led PlayStation into becoming stronger than ever. Now, due to his leadership in these scary times of Microsoft attempting to buy PlayStation out of business, they have seen them off. Causing Microsoft 'the Extinguisher' to surrender is a legendary feat, especially when your company is so much smaller.

Edited February 21 by Rozalia1
Release Dates Added

[Dry]

I'm calling it... Series X/S is the next Dreamcast.

[Lordguwa]

i'm willing to wait as long as any fallout/elder scrolls or diablo games keep coming out for the ps4/ps5 or any future ps system.

[Eraezr]

Love or hate Jim Ryan, he can now add, ‘Killed Xbox’ to his resume. 

[xh117]

11 minutes ago, Eraezr said:

Love or hate Jim Ryan, he can now add, ‘Killed Xbox’ to his resume. 

Phil Spencer deserves credit for that one, Jim didn't have to do anything 

[Demek97]

As an old Xbox fan (360 era) what's the point of Xbox Series X ? They most likely will drop physical media for the digital only bs (really nice for people like me with +200 Xbox 360 games on my shelf) they stop supporting backward compatibility, closing the Xbox 360 shop making most of the non-backward games impossible to play without old console and disc (cool move after sh*** on the physical media), no more Xbox exclusives... wtf Microsoft. I never bought the gamepass so for me the Xbox is literally commiting suicide. 

 

I bought the Xbox Series X only because the Xbox One/ Xbox 360 backward compatibility and I thought they will support more old games and make a full 360 library possible to play on the new hardware but nope time for mid xbox exclusives and digital only console because this is what we want as Xbox fans. 

 

And the worst part is Hellblade 2 will come digital only because F you we need your money and we need to kill secondhand market. 

Edited February 5 by Demek97

[mephisto3dg]

Only thing i care about is with this rumors, the chances of continue to get Tango, Arkane, ID and TES VI games on PS are higher. Anyone who looks at my trophy list will see i really enjoy games from this studios, hope they continue to make great titles in the future even if today is not looking so bright.

[majob]

 

 

 

Potential negative to this is that now MS has fewer hurdles in acquiring more publishers if they can now claim everything will be on all platforms.

2 hours ago, xh117 said:

Phil Spencer deserves credit for that one, Jim didn't have to do anything 

Not quite. Jim Ryan was the one who made a large chunk of exclusivity deals with studios and publishers to only exclude xbox as a platform, which elevated playstation. Though on the negative side this is what pushed Microsoft to just start outright buying said publishers like Bethesda when they learned Sony was trying to get exclusivity rights to Starfield.

Edited February 5 by majob

[boaly2008]

15 minutes ago, majob said:

 

 

 

Potential negative to this is that now MS has fewer hurdles in acquiring more publishers if they can now claim everything will be on all platforms.

Not quite. Jim Ryan was the one who made a large chunk of exclusivity deals with studios and publishers to only exclude xbox as a platform, which elevated playstation. Though on the negative side this is what pushed Microsoft to just start outright buying said publishers like Bethesda when they learned Sony was trying to get exclusivity rights to Starfield.

Quote

He heard that Xbox has an insane showcase with tons of games, but everyone is going to be saying astericks.

this feels like peak copium

 

 

[DaveB-2204]

Good to hear if exclusive xbox games are coming to Playstation, particularly Starfield which I would like to play, as well as Elder Scrolls 6 if that ever comes out in my lifetime. Similarly, I wouldn't mind if playstation games were added to xbox. As a consumer, I don't see any benefit in having exclusive games between consoles. The more games accessible, the better for everyone!

 

[Zephrese]

 

"Fuck around, and thou shalt find out" - God at Phil, probably (insert random biblical verse numbers here)

 

In all seriousness, fuck Microsoft. lmao Nothing more satisfying than watching all the garbage moves they've pulled over the last few years blow up in their faces and drag them further into the money pit from hell they've dug for themselves, only then to desperately try to climb back out by essentially throwing in the towel.

 

Since they were so quick to lay off thousands of employees, can we maybe for once start getting rid of some of the people in charge who let things get so bad in the first place and fucked over so many people - employees and consumers - in the process? No? Damn... 😕

Edited February 7 by Zephrese

[Omega_Rage98]

As long as the Crash and Spyro games they continue to make continue to come out on PlayStation, the truth is I don't care about the rest. If the odd game like Hi Fi Rush comes out, I'm happy, although I don't understand the strategy very clearly, but as long as I continue to enjoy Crash and Spyro, I happy

[PalaceOfLove706]

Microsoft’s gaming division just passed Windows as its third largest business. The company is valued at like $3 trillion. Your prediction of Xbox’s demise seems quite off. Maybe they focus less on consoles and more on games. One thing is for sure they will continue to try and grow their gaming business. 

[majob]

2 minutes ago, PalaceOfLove706 said:

Microsoft’s gaming division just passed Windows as its third largest business. The company is valued at like $3 trillion. Your prediction of Xbox’s demise seems quite off. Maybe they focus less on consoles and more on games. One thing is for sure they will continue to try and grow their gaming business. 

A large chunk of that revenue is only because they closed the acquisition on ABK. It's not because Microsoft has been crushing it in terms of sales and profit.

[BloodyRutz]

14 minutes ago, Zephrese said:

 

"Fuck around, and thou shalt find out" - God at Phil, probably.

 

You seem to be "Confused" about any post that doesn't directly criticize Microsoft, in both this and the other topic. Even though, in many cases, they simply state facts.

 

Edited February 5 by BloodyRutz

[SnowxSakura]

3 hours ago, Dry said:

I'm calling it... Series X/S is the next Dreamcast.

That's an insult to the dreamcast, it actually had good games

[sepheroithisgod]

41 minutes ago, majob said:

 

 

I've been saying this from the start, Xbox hardware is dead. Their only hope was to become a publisher like Sega did, and their latest acquisitions were to ensure that would be a successful venture. So many idiots thought it would be a good thing for Activision to get acquired, and then you see them lay off 1900 workers, which is a clear sign that they need to get an ROI, which means they are going to be pumping out games with no concern over quality.

 

I said it before I'll say it again, I think the current Xbox hardware is the last. Everyone avoids it like the plague and that stigma will never go away.

[PalaceOfLove706]

8 minutes ago, majob said:

A large chunk of that revenue is only because they closed the acquisition on ABK. It's not because Microsoft has been crushing it in terms of sales and profit.

Well Microsoft the company has been crushing it. They made $22 billion in profit last quarter. I’m sure their gaming division will continue to post good numbers now they are getting ABK money. 

[Biertje373]

53 minutes ago, majob said:

 

 

 

Potential negative to this is that now MS has fewer hurdles in acquiring more publishers if they can now claim everything will be on all platforms.

Not quite. Jim Ryan was the one who made a large chunk of exclusivity deals with studios and publishers to only exclude xbox as a platform, which elevated playstation. Though on the negative side this is what pushed Microsoft to just start outright buying said publishers like Bethesda when they learned Sony was trying to get exclusivity rights to Starfield.

I'll be honest, I haven't been paying too much attention to the whole stuff, but I have obviously seen stuff about this come by when scrolling through the internet.

And all of this stuff makes a lot of sense to me.

 

When I read the thing about th $350,- consoles and no one caring, I kind of feel that.

I've been thinking a lot about getting an Xbox for certain games, but whenever I see a sale, I just don't go for it. Don't know why, there's just that I don't have that final push.

[Eagle]

All the console war and guesswork aside, glad to be seeing all this exclusivity most likely going away, even if it is purely a business move; excited to play stuff like Hi-Fi Rush in the future. Wish the opposite was true as well (that is, other games' exclusives also leaving their platforms) but alas, will only happen if it is a profitable business move in the future for whatever reason, unfortunately.

[willows_blessing]

Indiana jones is coming to ps5 thank the lord above in heaven  

[sepheroithisgod]

5 minutes ago, Eagle said:

All the console war and guesswork aside, glad to be seeing all this exclusivity most likely going away, even if it is purely a business move; excited to play stuff like Hi-Fi Rush in the future. Wish the opposite was true as well (that is, other games' exclusives also leaving their platforms) but alas, will only happen if it is a profitable business move in the future for whatever reason, unfortunately.

While I understand not liking exclusivity, Xbox is a clear example of what happens when you don't have any exclusives. It is the death of that console. It destroyed their brand.

[Helyx]

4 hours ago, Dry said:

I'm calling it... Series X/S is the next Dreamcast.

 

Except that the Dreamcast was ahead of its time, whereas the Series X/S is out of time.

[majob]

1 minute ago, sepheroithisgod said:

While I understand not liking exclusivity, Xbox is a clear example of what happens when you don't have any exclusives. It is the death of that console. It destroyed their brand.

It was largely self inflicted. Putting all of their exclusives day and date on PC and Gamepass made the hardware pointless

[Eagle]

2 minutes ago, sepheroithisgod said:

While I understand not liking exclusivity, Xbox is a clear example of what happens when you don't have any exclusives. It is the death of that console. It destroyed their brand.

No, I understand. It is the inherent problem of a system where entertainment has to be, above all, a product – and I don't expect that system to change in the near future, at least where it matters, unfortunately.