These last few weeks have been kind of tormenting for PlayStation and Xbox fans with the rumors of the companies going third-party. While Xbox has already confirmed the games going to competitor platforms, PlayStation rumors started when Sony President and PS Chairman Hiroki Totoki said that the company is looking to change its approach with first-party titles.
The rumors have now gained momentum with the comments made by Hiroki Totoki during the Q&A session coinciding with the release of its financial report for the third quarter of FY23 ended December 31, 2023, and it seems like Xbox players might get Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 soon.
PlayStation Might Be Planning to Go Third-Party With Its Exclusives
During the Q&A session, Hiroki Totoki was asked how the company’s gaming department plans to increase profits. Totoki said that the company is discussing the possibility of cost reductions in hardware and also highlighted the idea of going multi-platform if needed, to improve the profits.
This comment was initially thought to be referring only to PC, but the Q&A summary also mentions other platforms, hinting that first-party titles may also come to other platforms than PC. The answer to the question on improving operating margin reads:
Another driver will be first-party titles. Strong titles that achieve growth on PS5, PCs, and other platforms will widen our margins. We believe that we have opportunities for margin improvement and intend to pursue them aggressively.
Totoki said that in the past, the company’s main purpose was to make the console popular with strong first-party content, not only on the console but also on PC. It can now bring first-party games to multi-platform and help increase profits, adding that the company wants to “proactively” work on it.
This indicates that Sony may be planning to bring first-party titles to competitor platforms. The recent exclusive titles have seen massive popularity and sales, with 2023’s major release, Spider-Man 2, selling over 10 million and the series garnering over 50 million sales. It doesn’t seem far-fetched to say that exclusive titles might grace Xbox at some point in the future.
Four Xbox Exclusives Are Already Coming to the PS
Putting the rumors to rest, Xbox head Phil Spencer announced that four exclusive titles will be going to competitor platforms. The company has now revealed those four titles, which include Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves, which will be available on both PS and Switch.
The rhythm-based action game Hi-Fi Rush will be coming to PS5 on March 19 and is now available to pre-order on the PS Store. The co-op survival adventure Grounded from Obsidian Entertainment will be available for PS4 and PS5 on April 16 with cross-play across all platforms.
Pentiment, the award-winning narrative adventure game, is now available on PS4 and PS5. Rare’s popular sea-faring adventure game Sea of Thieves will also be coming for PS5 on April 30, with pre-orders now available.
What are your thoughts about PlayStation going multi-platform? Let us know in the comment section below.
