Xbox Game Studios head says “we want our games to reach the most players that we can,” signaling more PS5 releases — is Microsoft done with Xbox exclusives?

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All four games revealed at Thursday’s Xbox Developer Direct 2026 will be available on both Xbox and PlayStation 5, as well as Windows PC. Three of these – Forza Horizon 6, Fable, and Kiln – are being developed by Microsoft’s own studios, Playground Games and Double Fine. While Forza Horizon 6 will come to PlayStation 5 after its initial release, both Fable and Kiln will be available on PS5 from day one.

Xbox is bringing another major title, Halo: Campaign Evolved, to PlayStation 5 in 2026 – a first for the historically exclusive Halo franchise. While it’s not yet confirmed, Gears of War: E-Day, expected this year, is also likely to launch on PS5, following the trend of recent Xbox games being released on multiple platforms.

Microsoft seems to be focusing more on releasing Xbox games on platforms other than just Xbox, likely because of how well games like Forza Horizon 5 and Sea of Thieves have done on PlayStation 5. Craig Duncan, who leads Xbox Game Studios, recently hinted that this is definitely the direction they’re heading.

I believe in keeping things simple: we want as many people as possible to play our games,” he explained to GamesRadar+ when discussing which Xbox titles to release on other platforms. “That’s always our main focus. It really isn’t more complicated than that – we’re always asking how to reach the widest audience with each game.

This aligns with Microsoft’s recent shift in strategy, moving away from solely focusing on its Xbox Series X|S consoles and instead prioritizing accessibility for players on various platforms. Releasing games on platforms beyond Xbox is just one part of this broader plan, which also includes the Xbox Ally handheld, expanded Xbox Play Anywhere and Cloud Gaming services, and offering multiple Xbox Game Pass subscription options on more devices.

Duncan explains that the timing of releasing games like Forza Horizon 6 on PS5 after the initial launch depends on various factors during development. He says the size of the development team and the initial plans for the game can impact when it’s possible to bring a title to other platforms. Sometimes, changes in strategy mean existing plans can’t be followed, leading to a delayed release on platforms like PlayStation 5.

We’re aware that things aren’t always consistent – you might find some games listed in one spot, and others spread across multiple locations. We’re working to fix this and make everything more uniform going forward.

Duncan explained that Xbox Game Studios might release games on different platforms in the future if they can’t fully utilize a platform’s unique features and deliver the best possible experience there.

We’d discuss it internally and agree that unless we could execute flawlessly and treat players fairly, we wouldn’t release a feature. This often led to conversations about potentially releasing it later. Teams are limited in size, and ultimately, resources aren’t endless. We want to deliver the best possible experience on each platform and for each game, so we sometimes keep our options open to do that.

Ideally, Microsoft would love to release all of its Xbox games on every possible device. This hints that we might soon see fewer Xbox games that are only available on Xbox and Windows PCs. It seems like that’s the path Microsoft is currently taking.

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2026-01-24 00:09