Last week the gaming world was thrown into a grade-A tizzy, when XboxEra reported the rumor that Starfield would be going to PlayStation and other platforms. In short order, rumors that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and even Gears of War were being considered for multiplatform releases began to make the rounds, raising the specter of Microsoft going fully third party.
Well, we may want to slow down just a bit. Noted insider NateDrake/Nate the Hate, who has delivered accurate info numerous times in the past, was one of the first to endorse the XboxEra rumor, but it seems he’s beginning to regret that. He already clarified his stance, saying he doesn’t think all Xbox games will go multiplatform, but now he’s gone a step further in a post on the ResetEra forums, saying he now believes Starfield will remain exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem and the rumors specifically related to that game were “pure fiction” possibly put out there by bad actors.
“I’m now of the belief that Starfield is not happening and the info spread around was pure fiction. I’ll own the miss.”
So, does that mean everything related to Xbox games going multiplatform and possible changes to Microsoft’s gaming strategy was fiction? Very unlikely. For starters, Xbox has announced a “business update event” for next week, with Phil Spencer saying the following…
“We’re listening and we hear you. We’ve been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox. Stay tuned.”
If there was no fire behind this smoke, would have simply denied everything. Something is going on, and we’ll find out more next week, but the initial “Starfield to PlayStation” rumor that kicked all this off now seems less likely. Also, definitely serve this with a grain of salt, but Tom Henderson — perhaps the insider with the greatest track record of accuracy — has stepped into the fray to say those within Xbox are “very surprised” by how out of control the rumors and conversation have got.
Make of this what you will, but speaking with a few folk over there, they [xbox] was very surprised at the extent of the “rumours” because nothing was set in stone apart from Hi-Fi and SoT from what I’ve gathered.
Honestly sounds like for the most part it’s been a prime example…
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) February 9, 2024
What do you expect Microsoft will announce during their business update event next week? Will it represent a sea change for Xbox or will be a more of a minor tweak to the status quo?
