Summary
- During The Game Awards, Obsidian confirmed that The Outer Worlds 2 will launch on PS5 when it releases in 2025.
- This is different to its previous approach, which had games releasing on PS5 some time after Xbox.
- According to Windows Central executive editor Jez Corden, the age of Xbox having permanent exclusives is “over”.
A reliable insider has recently claimed that the era of Xbox having permanent console exclusives is “over”, something that’s been becoming clearer and clearer over the past year.
Earlier this week, one of the biggest surprises of The Game Awards was the first gameplay trailer for The Outer Worlds 2, which is set to release at some point in 2025. It was a shock to see considering Obsidian already has Avowed releasing in just two months, but the most noteworthy part of the reveal was at the end when the PS5 logo popped up alongside the ones for Xbox and Steam.
Xbox has already been making it very clear over the past year with the release of Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, Pentiment, and (eventually) Indiana Jones and the Great Circle that it’s no longer as interested in console exclusives. The Outer Worlds 2 seems to have cemented that even more, as confirmed by a reliable insider.
Xbox Reportedly Won’t Have Console Exclusives Going Forward
As pointed out on the GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit, Windows Central executive editor Jez Corden responded to a comment accusing him of not addressing The Outer Worlds 2’s PS5 confirmation and the “deep deep trouble” it spells for Xbox as a whole. Corden was also asked why Xbox wants to “knee-cap” games like South of Midnight and Avowed by keeping them exclusive for a time.
In response, Corden said that Xbox doesn’t want to do that and that each of the games mentioned is coming to PlayStation “over time”. This caused a bit of confusion from one commenter, who wondered why Xbox doesn’t just outright say that’s the new strategy instead of stringing fans along.
According to Corden, Xbox’s admittedly strange approach is because they don’t want to mandate it for teams that aren’t set up for multiplatform development currently. While that’s fair, Corden then says that the “era of Xbox having permanent console exclusives is over”, something that the writing has been on the wall for over the past few years.
Although it’s possible that Corden is exaggerating or might end up being incorrect, he’s been reliable in the past when it comes to Xbox’s plans and has previously made it clear that Microsoft is no longer as interested in Xbox having exclusives. Still, considering how strangely it’s been communicated in 2024, it’s nice to hear it outright said.
