Xbox is leaving the door open for one of its upcoming first-party games,The Outer Worlds 2, to potentially be released on PlayStation platforms.The Outer Worlds 2is currently announced for both PC and Xbox Series X/S, but according to new comments from Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty it’s possible it could come to PlayStation platforms, too. To say that Xbox’s future multiplatform support for specific games,The Outer Worlds 2or otherwise, is tenuous and political would be an understatement, though.
Following the acquisition of Bethesda, Xbox followed through on all the new division’s contracts for games planned for PlayStation devices.DeathloopandGhostwire: Tokyoare the two full-release examples of this. Since then, Bethesda releases have been exclusive to Xbox-supported platforms.Hi-Fi Rush,Redfall, and theupcoming release ofStarfieldare all exclusive to PC and Xbox Series X/S. The decision to make Bethesda titles exclusive has been controversial, but there’s no indication Xbox has reconsidered the practice.
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The Outer Worlds 2may be in a unique situation that could lead to it being released on PlayStation platforms in the future, shifting away from Xbox’s current practices. As part of a deposition provided for a federal trial tied to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Booty discussed the potential exclusivity ofThe Outer Worlds 2. Booty explained that a decision had “not been made” regardingwhetherThe Outer Worlds 2would be released on PlayStation.
As for whyThe Outer Worlds 2could come to PlayStation platforms and not other games, Booty provides a sensible explanation. He says Microsoft might releaseThe Outer Worlds 2on PlayStation because there’s a community already there from the first game. In other words, Xbox may want to stay committed to that audience rather than pass them by.
Another possibility for why Booty would say this is to make Xbox look better in front of a judge. It’s entirely possible, if not extremely likely, thatThe Outer Worlds 2will still be a PC and Xbox Series X/S exclusive. Booty could simply be posturing to make it seem like Xbox isn’t as competitive as it might seem. Or, more specifically, to show that it may not necessarilymakeCall of Dutyexclusive like Sony claims Microsoft will do.
If Booty says there’s a possibility thatThe Outer Worlds 2could launch on PlayStation consoles, then it’s not an impossibility.The Outer Worldsfans on PlayStation probably shouldn’t hold their breath, though. IfXbox intended to releaseThe Outer Worlds 2on PlayStation, it probably would have said so already.
The Outer Worlds 2is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
