Microsoft mulls major Xbox exclusives Starfield, Indiana Jones for PlayStation 5 – reports

Major Xbox console exclusives such as Bethesda’s Starfield and the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are being considered for launch on Sony’s PlayStation 5, as part of a huge shift in strategy by Microsoft.

Previous reports suggested Xbox would bring a handful of smaller titles to PlayStation beginning this year, including Hi-Fi Rush – something Eurogamer understood to be true and also which has now seemingly been confirmed by its in-game files. But the idea that Microsoft will also – at some point – drop exclusivity for some of its biggest games marks a policy change far bigger than previously expected.

A swathe of reports emerged last night suggesting Microsoft’s PlayStation plans now included Starfield – Xbox’s tentpole release for 2023, albeit one which received a somewhat mixed reception – and potentially also Indiana Jones – the company’s biggest release currently on the calendar for 2024.

XboxEra was first to report that Starfield will launch on PS5 this year after the game receives its previously-announced Shattered Space expansion. Reliable insiders NateTheHate and Randalthor19 corroborated the report. Eurogamer has contacted Microsoft for comment.

The Verge separately reported that a PS5 version of Indiana Jones was also being considered, with a short exclusivity of only a few months for Xbox and PC.

The potential of such a huge change by Microsoft in how it treats Xbox console exclusives has inevitably thrown up questions over how the company sees its place in the industry going forward – as a platform holder with a subscription service, a first-party, or a third-party games maker.