Summary
- Xbox-exclusive games Pentiment, Grounded, Sea of Thieves, and Hi-Fi Rush are going multiplatform.
- Fans debate the impact of Xbox's multi-platform strategy, with Gears of War creator seeing it as positive.
- Gears of War creator CliffyB believes reaching more fans with cross-platform play is beneficial for the franchise.
The four Xbox-exclusive games Microsoft said were going multiplatform were recently confirmed to be Pentiment, Grounded, Sea of Thieves, and Hi-Fi Rush. This confirmation followed over a week of drama and controversy, as many debated whether or not this would be good for the Xbox platform. For now, fans can only let it shake out and go from there, but prior to this confirmation, The Best War Games spoke with Gears of War creator Cliff 'CliffyB' Bleszinski.
Our conversation focused on CliffyB's comic series Scrapper, but as the rumors were rampant at the time, the conversation did veer toward the topic of Xbox's potential multi-platform titles, which was only rumored at the time. While Gears of War is not one of the IPs going multiplatform, at least at this time, CliffyB thinks the strategy is ultimately a good thing.
What Xbox's New Exclusivity Strategy Will Mean For Xbox Game Pass
Xbox has just announced that it plans on bringing four games to other platforms, and fans might be wondering what that means for Xbox Game Pass.
Gears of War Going Multi-Platform Should Be Seen as a Positive
There's little denying the success of the Gears of War franchise, with the property successfully crossing the $1 billion earnings threshold 10 years ago and continuing to serve as one of the Xbox ecosystem's premier exclusives. Alongside Halo, few franchises have had the impact on the Xbox's success as Gears of War, and its passionate fanbase continues to sing the series' praises despite the lack of a new entry since 2019's Gears 5. While it's not one of the games going multiplatform at this time, it was one of the many games fans debated - with fans the world over split no matter the case-by-case basis.
The rumors at the time had many asking if Gears of War would be one of the titles to go multiplatform or would eventually. Somewhat unsurprisingly, series creator Cliff Bleszinski makes the point that this could only be a good thing if it did, allowing an entire legion of new fans the chance to experience the entire Gears saga and the presumably-in-development Gears of War 6. When asked about the potential for Gears to come to PlayStation, Bleszinski remarks:
In the words of Ronald Reagan (I'm showing my age), “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”. I think that's what Phil Spencer's going for. He's going for the Netflix model. That started with Xbox Game Pass and then, like Netflix, they realized they need to be on every device. People have been joking about Gears of War coming to PlayStation for well over like a decade and, you know, I think ‘the more, the merrier.’ If people own a PS5 and get to play and experience the next-gen Gears games, that means more Gears of War tattoos.
One of the things I learned from one of my heroes, John Romero, is that he's very good at reminding people about his past as he's guiding them towards his future in regards to his career. I have no problem encouraging Gears fandom. I embrace it.
Bleszinski's thoughts on his games reaching more fans are likely similar to those of other developers, who arguably wish for their games to be experienced by as many players as possible rather than forcing players to commit to one console over another. The Gears franchise is predicated on group play, with many of the series' best moments arriving from sitting down with friends to clear campaigns in co-op or play in competitive multiplayer. And though it's not confirmed to be venturing outside of Xbox as of yet, the prospect of Gears of War as a cross-play title on multiple platforms is an enticing one.
Microsoft Xbox Series X
- Brand
- Microsoft
- Battery
- 2 x AA (LR6) Batteries (Included)
The Xbox Series X boasts the fastest CPU and GPU configuration currently available for a current-generation console while offering 1TB of fast SSD storage for users out of the box.
It comes with an Xbox Series S|X controller, a power cord, and documentation along with a trial for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in the box.
- Dimensions
- 301 mm × 151 mm × 151 mm
- Weight
- 9.7 lbs