Phil Spencer Explains Why Xbox is Bringing Indiana Jones to…

Following yesterday's announcement that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would be coming to PlayStation 5, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer is elaborating on the decision, stating that it was business-oriented. Many Xbox fans expressed disappointment over this move, believing that the spring 2025 launch of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PS5 would likely impact the game's success on Xbox consoles.

After another brief but heated bout of rumors, Xbox announced at the recent Gamescom 2024 Opening Night Live event that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would make its way to PS5 a few months after its December 2024 release on Xbox Series X/S and PC. This came as a shock to some Xbox fans, as the game has been marketed as an Xbox console exclusive. When asked about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle coming to PS5 in an interview during the Gamescom livestream, Spencer said that Xbox's franchises and player counts "are as strong as they've ever been," but ultimately, he has to "run a business" since the bar for Xbox is "high" at Microsoft in terms of return on investment.

Multiplatform Releases Help the Xbox Business Grow, Says Spencer

Spencer further stated that he is looking at ways to make Xbox games "as strong as possible" and for the platform to consistently "grow on console, PC and cloud." The multiplatform strategy apparently "works" for the company to help achieve these goals, according to Spencer. He capped off his statement by asserting that game distribution has begun to change amid pressure from shareholders for constant business growth, but the impetus still lies on building "great games," and doing otherwise means focusing "on the wrong things." Spencer's comments clearly show that Xbox's multiplatform pivot is paying off, which was evident when Sea of Thieves topped PlayStation sales charts some time ago.

It can also be surmised from Spencer's remarks that the decision to bring Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to PS5 was likely made by Microsoft rather than license holder Disney, as some theorized. Even after this interview, though, the extent of Xbox's multiplatform plans remains unclear, along with whether they could affect console hardware in the long run. For now, Microsoft is working on a next-generation Xbox console, but beyond that, the future is difficult to predict.