Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is my kind of video game. I’m a big fan of the Steven Spielberg and George Lucas-created film series that inspired it. I love Uncharted and immersive sims in equal amounts, and this first-person stealth adventure sounds like the perfect combination of those interests. On top of that, developer MachineGames’ previous single-player outing, Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, is one of my favorite games of the last console generation. This was made for me.
And yet, I haven’t touched it. Like Indy standing with a bazooka as the Nazi caravan makes its way along the desert path below, I’m waiting for the perfect moment to strike. That moment will likely be when the game comes to PS5 sometime this year.
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Xbox’s Approach To Exclusives Has Gotten Bizarre
Xbox’s approach to first-party games is all over the place lately. Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush are on PS5, but not Switch, which, with minor graphical downgrades, could definitely run them. Avowed is an Xbox exclusive, but The Outer Worlds 2, another RPG from the same developer (Obsidian), is coming to PS5. Starfield remains an Xbox exclusive, but Indiana Jones, one of its most acclaimed release in years, gets a PS5 launch. There’s no discernible strategy here.
Though I’ve considered shelling out for an Xbox Series X or S in the past, the company has me wondering if that will ever actually be worth it. If you and your partner were breaking up and making up every other week, would you feel good about buying a house together? I just don’t know if Xbox is in its relationship with players for the long haul.
How Different Is This From Sony’s Approach To PC Ports?
Obviously, buying a console is not the same level of investment as purchasing a home. But in both cases, you’re looking for signs that spending this money isn’t going to immediately blow up in your face.
To be fair, Xbox’s multiplatform approach might take some cues from Sony’s approach to putting its games on PC. Aside from multiplayer titles like Helldivers 2 and Concord (RIP), PlayStation doesn’t do simultaneous console and PC releases. It puts games on PS5, waits a year or two, then ports them over. If you want to be part of the conversation around big Sony games like The Last of Us Part 2 or Spider-Man 2, you need a PS5. If you don’t care, you’re fine to wait.
For the most part, Xbox has followed a similar approach with its multiplatform releases. Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, Sea of Thieves, and Pentiment all launched on other consoles at least a year after they launched on Xbox. But Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has narrowed the window. Xbox says that it will hit PS5 in spring of this year – at most, that means a six month gap from its Xbox launch. And the announcement that The Outer Worlds 2 — due out in 2025 — will launch on Xbox and PS5 simultaneously narrows the gap down to nothing.
Xbox isn’t doing this with everything – Avowed is still set to be an exclusive. But at this point, the company’s strategy is so all over the place that I’m punting on buying an Xbox Series X yet again. I would like to play its big games at launch, and my PC isn’t up to the task anymore. But I don’t want to buy another expensive console only to find out that I can, in fact, play Indiana Jones on my PS5 if I have a little patience. That would be a little like opening the Ark of the Covenant, only to have your face melted. And I don’t want my face melted.
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