Are we about to see Xbox games on Switch and PS5?

Recent revelations have pointed to the possibility that games once considered console-exclusive to the Xbox platforms could seen appear on the PS5 and Switch.

Console wars have a long and stories history, dating back in the minds of many to Nintendo’s SNES facing off with the Sega Genesis. The current console generation, made up of the Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Sony PlayStation 5, is often seen as less contentious. But it has remained very competitive between the console makers.

Microsoft now appears to be considering a change of tactics that would see the global technology company bring even its most protected intellectual property to the consoles it once competed directly against.

Why are Xbox exclusives coming to PS5 and Switch?

There are many reasons why Microsoft might consider bringing console-exclusive Xbox games to the PS5 and Switch. The PS5 in particular is an attractive destination for many games, as the Xbox and PS5 run comparable hardware and thus make for easy game ports. Conversely, the Switch’s less powerful hardware requires more concessions and more work.

It has long been considered an inevitability by some in the industry that Microsoft would one day retreat from making video game consoles to focus on games and its Windows PC efforts. Those thoughts have been given renewed strength by recent reports that such titles as Starfield and Hellblade 2 could be making the jump from Xbox to PS5.

The move isn’t as landscape-shifting as it once might have been. These days, Xbox and PS5 games alike tend to make their way to the PC, allowing users to experience games no matter their console-exclusivity so long as they have a PC of sufficient hardware strength.

Console production isn’t necessary the most profitable of Microsoft’s ventures. Making games is still a definite priority for the company, and its acquisitions of such prolific game developers as Activision-Blizzard and Bethesda have made that very clear.

But being in the video game business doesn’t require console production. And that’s especially true when there’s so much emphasis on the PC as a platform, a market that Microsoft already has largely squared away with its nearly ubiquitous Windows operating system.

So while it’s not yet a done deal that Microsoft will cease Xbox production and focus on games, players should be prepared for the increasing possibility.