Microsoft is said to have been considering the idea to bring other major franchises to rival platforms, including the Gears of War, the next Doom, and Flight Simulator.
As reported by The Verge’s Tom Warren, however, a final decision about bringing these AAA first-party titles to other platforms hasn’t been made yet. “I understand that Microsoft has also previously been weighing up the idea of bringing Gears of War, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and even the next Doom game to rival platforms”, Warren writes in an article about Xbox games coming to PS5 and Switch following yesterday’s Xbox podcast. “Final decisions haven’t been made on these other games, but there’s bound to be more than just four. As this strategy evolves, it’s clear there will be some interesting decisions being made about the future of Xbox games and exclusivity.”
Interestingly, The Verge also writes that Xbox boss Phil Spencer sent out an internal memo to employees to talk about Microsoft’s strategy for Xbox going forward. This memo makes mention of what Xbox President Sarah Bond has allegedly already told employees during last week’s Town Hall meeting – “every screen is an Xbox”. “We have a different vision for the future of gaming”, the internal memo from Spencer reads. “A future where players have a unified experience across devices. A future where players can easily discover a vast array of games with a diverse spectrum of business models. A future where more creators are empowered to realize their creative vision, reach a global audience, unite their communities, and succeed commercially. A future where every screen is an Xbox.”
Earlier this month, we already reported that known reporter Jeff Grubb said that the Gears franchise, and possibly Halo as well, could make the jump to rival platforms. “Okay, but, the other one that I’ve heard that’s definitely under consideration, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, but is in talks, is Gears of War”, Grubb said. “Gears of War is being considered for this and that’s, like, Halo then Gears of War in terms of icons of Xbox. You’re not holding anything back, you may as well just put Halo on PlayStation.”
