On Thursday, it was announced by the Xbox teams that the upcoming Xbox game being transferred to PlayStation 5 will be Forza Horizon 5, developed by Playground Games.
For the past twelve months, Microsoft has been open about their intention to release an increasing number of games within the PlayStation environment. Initially, Sea of Thieves joined the lineup, followed by the announcement of Indiana Jones, and now, they’re extending their reach even more.
Among Microsoft’s all-time top-performing games, Forza Horizon 5 has garnered significant popularity with more than 40 million players worldwide. This leading racing title sets the bar high in its genre and has won multiple awards. Furthermore, it is a substantial revenue generator for Microsoft due to its live service model, continuous updates, and in-game purchases. Forza Horizon 5 debuted on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and Windows PC platforms on November 21 last year. The game experienced immediate success, quickly surpassing 20 million players and receiving widespread critical acclaim, similar to its predecessors.
Through our initial sources and subsequently verified by Microsoft on the Forza Horizon 5 official site, it was disclosed that developer Playground Games talked about their collaboration with Panic Button and an upcoming release they’ve named “Realms.
Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation 5, collaboratively produced by Panic Button Studios, Turn 10 Studios, and Playground Games, offers identical content to both Xbox and PC versions. Previously launched Car Packs, along with the Hot Wheels and Rally Adventure expansions, can be purchased separately.
We’re thrilled to witness the expansion of the Forza Horizon 5 community as more players join in on PS5. We can hardly wait to experience the innovative ideas and impressive skills that these fresh talents, creators, architects, and racers will contribute to our lively community.
Apart from launching Forza Horizon 5 on PS5, we’re also developing an exciting new free content expansion for all platforms called Horizon Realms. This expansion allows players to delve into a carefully selected assortment of popular Evolving Worlds that have been previously released, as well as some other unexpected treats. Keep an eye on our channels for further information about this update in the near future.
Yesterday, as a dedicated Xbox fan, I learned about Microsoft’s plans to transform Xbox into a more profitable venture, and one strategy they mentioned was selling games. With Forza Horizon 5 seemingly reaching its peak on Xbox Series X|S and PC, moving it to PlayStation could bring in extra income and prestige for the series. However, the potential impact on Xbox console exclusives, especially iconic ones, remains uncertain. This might influence the number of consoles sold in the future. Intriguingly, Microsoft has been experiencing a decline in Xbox Series X|S hardware sales quarter after quarter, and decreasing exclusive reasons to buy a console could possibly worsen this trend.
Microsoft is fully committed to the next-generation Xbox console hardware, as stated by its CEO, Phil Spencer. Instead of focusing on exclusive games for victory, Microsoft aims to stand out in terms of hardware innovation.
Expect Xbox to expand more games across more platforms
Since Microsoft acquired Minecraft developer Mojang in 2014, making Xbox a third-party publisher to some extent, they have significantly expanded their third-party publishing activities over the past year. Notably, in 2024, Microsoft made four previously exclusive Xbox games available on PlayStation and Nintendo, including Rare’s Sea of Thieves. They also announced plans to bring Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from Bethesda Softworks and Machine Games to PlayStation 5 in 2025, a few months after its release on Xbox and PC. Our sources suggest that even the iconic Xbox franchise Halo may be making its way to PlayStation. Forza, one of the “big three” iconic Xbox franchises alongside Gears of War and Halo, is also set to cross platforms, which should put an end to any doubts that Xbox has no boundaries when it comes to games eventually leaving Xbox for PlayStation.
In the future, some, but not all, exclusive titles from Xbox’s internal studio lineup are intended for release on PlayStation 5 as well. Among these cross-platform releases will be DOOM: The Dark Ages, The Outer Worlds 2, and Ninja Gaiden 4.
Xbox enthusiasts can enjoy significant savings over time with Xbox Game Pass, particularly if they’re keen on playing games from the Xbox first-party lineup. Titles such as Avowed (scheduled for launch in February), Fable, Gears of War: E-Day, State of Decay 3, and numerous other unannounced games will become available on Xbox Game Pass simultaneously with their release – a feature that is arguably best experienced on Xbox console hardware.
It appears that, according to recent reports, Xbox has become the largest game publisher worldwide. This strategy seems to be bringing significant benefits to its shareholders. However, whether or not this will sustain Xbox’s digital software store in the long run is yet to be determined. What is clear is that Forza Horizon 5 is a smash hit, and it’s likely to attract a vast new player base on the expansive PlayStation platform.
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2025-01-30 21:42