Xbox Explains Decision to Release Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PS5

Multiplatform Release Aligns with Xbox's Goals

During the Gamescom 2024 showcase, Bethesda announced that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, initially exclusive to Xbox and PC, will now also be available on PlayStation 5 in spring 2025. Xbox head Phil Spencer elaborated on this decision, highlighting it as a strategic move that aligns with Xbox’s broader business objectives.

In an interview, Spencer emphasized Xbox's role as a business within Microsoft, where the expectations for performance are high. "It's definitely true inside of Microsoft, the bar is high for us in terms of the delivery we have to give back to the company, 'cause we get a level of support from the company that's just amazing, what we're able to go do," he said. He also stressed the importance of learning and adapting, referencing previous multiplatform releases. "Going to the PlayStation announcement, obviously, last spring we launched four games – two of them on the Switch, four of them on PlayStation – and we said we were going to learn," Spencer noted. "We said we’d watch. I think at Showcase, I might have said, from our learning, we’re gonna do more."

Despite the shift to multiplatform, Spencer assured that the Xbox platform remains robust, with player numbers reaching new highs and franchises continuing to grow. "What I see when I look is: our franchises are getting stronger. Our Xbox console players are as high this year as they've ever been. I look at it, and I say, okay: our player numbers are going up for the console platform. Our franchises are as strong as they've ever been. And we run a business," he explained.

Spencer also underscored the need for adaptability in the evolving gaming industry. "There’s a lot of pressure on the industry. It’s been growing for a long time, and now people are looking for ways to grow. I think us, as fans and players of games, we have to anticipate more change, and how some of the traditional ways that games are built and distributed - that's gonna change," he said. He further emphasized that the ultimate goal should be to create better games accessible to more players, stating, "If that is not Xbox's focus, then they are focused on the wrong things. So for us at Xbox - health of Xbox, health of our platform, and our growing games are the most important things."

FTC Findings Indicate Indy Originally Planned for Multiplatform Release

Rumors of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle heading to a competitor's platform circulated before the official announcement. Earlier this year, speculation about first-party Xbox games going multiplatform surfaced, and this move confirms it for a major title. Initially, Spencer had stated that neither Indiana Jones nor Starfield would be among the Xbox exclusives coming to PlayStation. However, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle now joins a growing list of major Xbox titles heading to PS5, following announcements like Doom: The Dark Ages in June.

The decision to transition Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from an Xbox exclusive to a multiplatform title can be traced back to Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax Media, in 2020. During the FTC trial regarding Xbox’s acquisition of Activision, Bethesda’s Pete Hines disclosed that Disney had an initial agreement with ZeniMax to develop the game for multiple consoles. Post-acquisition, the deal was renegotiated to make the game exclusive to Xbox and PC. The recent move to include PS5 reflects a strategic shift by Xbox.

Internal emails from 2021 revealed discussions among Xbox executives, including Spencer, about the implications of making Indiana Jones an exclusive title. Spencer acknowledged that while exclusivity could benefit Xbox in certain ways, it might also restrict the broader impact of Bethesda’s work.