Summary
Whether you like it or not,Xboxis shifting its strategy this generation. The biggest tell is it releasing Xbox exclusives on other platforms, and the company’s latest earnings call strongly suggests there’s more to come considering how well its newest games have been selling onPlayStation.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella headed up an Xbox earnings call this week during which he covered all the key points from its Q3 FY2025, a period that covers the first quarter of the calendar year, so January 1 through March 31. Among the more notable wins highlighted was the reveal that Xbox was the top pre-order publisher during that period not only on its own store, but on the PlayStation Store too (viaTom Warren).
“We ended the quarter as the top publisher by pre-orders and pre-installs on both Xbox and the PlayStation Store,” Nadella noted. The finer details on how exactly that happened weren’t revealed, but there are three Xbox-published games, two of which have now launched, that you can point to for being responsible for Xbox already enjoying so much success onPS5.
Xbox’s PlayStation Strategy Is Going Well
Three Big Games Were Enough For It To Top The Q1 Pre-Order Charts
First up wasIndiana Jones and The Great Circle, a game Xbox promised would eventually come to PS5 before it had even arrived onSeries X|S. Right after that, launching earlier this week, wasForza Horizon 5. There was a point in April when Indiana Jones and Forza were at the top of PlayStation’s pre-order chart, so every chance Xbox repeats its Q1 feat during this current quarter.
Especially when the third and final Xbox game PlayStation users have been pre-ordering by the boatload isDoom: The Dark Ages. The highly anticipated Doom game is still two weeks away, so two more weeks for Xbox to rack up even more pre-orders. If onlyOblivion Remasteredhadn’t been shadow-dropped, Xbox could have registered some pre-order numbers there too.
Elsewhere in the earnings call, Nadella confirmed gaming revenue is up five percent, while services revenue, which coversGame Pass, is up eight percent, pointing toCall of DutyandMinecraftas the leading reasons for that. The only area that experienced a drop year-on-year was Xbox’s hardware department, further evidence that the company’s focus has well and truly shifted.
It’s a matter of when rather than if Xbox reveals which of its games will be coming to other platforms in the future.Rumors that Starfield will eventually get the PS5 treatmenthave been swirling for months, and there might even be a future where olderHalogames are available on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
WHERE TO PLAY
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events ofRaiders of the Lost ArkandThe Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power known as the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them - Indiana Jones. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.
Forza Horizon 5
With Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games takes its open-world racing game to a fictional version of Mexico, containing plenty of races, missions, and collectibles to be found. It adds local weather fronts for more diversity, more than 600 vehicles, and the return of the Eliminator battle royale mode.
DOOM: The Dark Ages
DOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells an epic cinematic story worthy of the DOOM Slayer’s legend. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell.DOOM: The Dark Ages is a dark fantasy/sci-fi single-player experience that delivers the searing combat and over-the-top visuals of the incomparable DOOM franchise, powered by the latest idTech engine.REIGN IN HELL -As the super weapon of gods and kings, shred enemies with devastating favorites like the Super Shotgun while also wielding a variety of new bone-chewing weapons, including the versatile Shield Saw. Players will stand and fight on the demon-infested battlefields in the vicious, grounded combat the original DOOM is famous for.STAND AND FIGHT -Experience an epic story of the DOOM Slayer’s rage in this cinematic and action-packed story. Bound to serve as the super weapon of gods and kings, the DOOM Slayer fends off demon hordes as their leader seeks to destroy the Slayer and become the only one that is feared. Witness the creation of a legend as the Slayer takes on all of Hell and turns the tide of the war.DISCOVER UNKNOWN REALMS -In his quest to crush the legions of Hell, the Slayer must take the fight to never-before-seen realms. Mystery, challenges, and rewards lurk in every shadow of ruined castles, epic battlefields, dark forests, ancient hellscapes, and worlds beyond. Armed with the viciously powerful Shield Saw, cut through a dark world of menace and secrets in id’s largest and most expansive levels to date.
