Game Inbox: Does Indiana Jones on PS5 mean Xbox is now multiformat?

All formats
Wow, Indiana Jones And The Great Circle came out early December on Xbox, and it’s spring PlayStation 5. So, what, a maximum five month wait for the PlayStation 5 version of one of the biggest (former) Xbox exclusives? Even after the rumors, the wait was faster than most people expected.
It’s a pretty big change of direction for Microsoft, and I think a lot about their plans going forward.

I guess the big question is still, is it only Bethesda games going multiplatform, or all new Xbox releases? Will Microsoft become more like a game publisher than a hardware manufacturer? Could it be a new Valve, especially with the new app store planned? But if this is the new norm, then this can only help Sony’s platform demand?

And if the goal is to sell more games, will they be released on Switch 2 as well? Does that mean the Switch 2 is out in late spring?

Many questions still need to be answered, but in the end it is good news for the players that more people are playing this best game.
Stephen

GC: We don’t think the PlayStation 5 launch date should say much about the Switch 2 launch, but we’d be surprised if the game isn’t on Nintendo’s new console. Although not as strong compared to the other two consoles, there is an excellent Switch port of MachineGames’ Wolfenstein 2.

Change focus
I have come to the conclusion that Phil Spencer and the company may be the dumbest executives in the history of the game. Not because Indiana Jones will be multiformat (also expect a Switch 2 version). No, in fact they announced it at Gamescom. The release date was meant to be a grand opening. However, it was overshadowed by the announcement of the PlayStation 5. You can’t make it!

When have you ever seen Sony or Nintendo announce an expiration date for a timed exclusive? Smart company at least wait until next year to announce the PlayStation 5 version. Or at least make a big deal about multiformat. Microsoft clearly has no interest in selling hardware. The Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 segment didn’t even advertise Game Pass, day one. Xbox marketing is abysmal.

Maybe the information was leaked by force? But it made the PlayStation 5 announcement laughable. I can’t say I’m surprised by any of this. Xbox management has been a clown show for years.
Mr
PS: Great preview of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. It has been the most anticipated game. More so now.

Long game
Likewise, the last startup, if it hasn’t already started, is Microsoft as a console maker. Whatever the future of Xbox is, it has nothing to do with console sales. However, they are only slowly becoming third-party publishers like others. As one previous reader, instead of just buying Activision Blizzard, they have become.

If it’s a plan then that’s one thing but what I get is embarrassingly disorganized the way they want to go about it. Why did they say that Indiana Jones is coming to PlayStation 5 and give a hard date? What will it do but prevent people from buying it on Xbox or signing up for Game Pass. That information does nothing but immediately make you want to invest less in the Xbox ecosystem.

The only thing I can see as a sympathetic explanation for Microsoft is that they have given up at this point and are now waiting until streaming is reliable enough to take advantage and consoles become irrelevant. In theory, they could jump on the PlayStation but how far would it go? five? 10? 15 years? Even I wouldn’t believe that Phil Spencer is still in charge.
Ashton Marley

Email comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Trail comeback
So how does Gamescom fit into your diary? Can you participate in people? Or will you be covering from your GC home/headquarters?

Are there more opportunities than normal for interviews from developers this time around, or previews of events you’re doing, online or live?

Keep up the good work!
Stephen

GC: This year will be the first time we meet in person since the pandemic. It seems like it’s still a shadow of its former self, but there will be some previews and interviews coming out soon. The hope is that both and the Summer Game Fest will be gradually from now on, but we will have to see.

Hold up
Usually I just roll my eyes and read more when people decide whether a Nintendo console is powerful or not, because it usually doesn’t matter. But this time I’m really interested, because it will greatly affect third-party support.

The ever-decreasing graphics, from one generation to the next, work for Nintendo, to the point that even if new games don’t look good on the Switch 2, they should still work. It will be like playing on PC with lower graphics settings.

This means that, in theory, publishers will flock to the new console and will have a variety of third-party games, plus everything from Nintendo. The problem is that the price will be the same even if the graphics are worse.

Maybe they won’t charge £70 (although some still will) but even £60 for something you know is cheaper will annoy some people. We will have to wait and see.
Winston

Perfect friend
All this Alien Talk, both Romulus and Isolation, reminds me that Andy Kelly’s Perfect Organism is almost due to publish in Unbound, and I can’t remember if it was mentioned on this page before.

The book promises to be an in-depth companion to the game, with detailed looks at set design, sound design and Alien AI, as well as mission by mission. The author freely admits to being obsessed with Aliens in general and this game in particular, so I’m hoping for something special.

Pre-orders for the hardback edition are now closed, but you can still get the ebook and more copies should be available (I think) when the book is published on August 29th.
Eiichihoba (PSN ID)

GC: We’ve never heard of that before but wow, you’re not kidding about being obsessed.

Alternative to DualSense
Just wondering if any readers have got a good recommendation for a reasonably priced Xbox style controller for the PlayStation 5. I really can’t get with the PlayStation 5 controller, it gives me a thumb cramp. I have the Nacon for PlayStation 4 which is great but the PlayStation 5 version is £170!

I don’t understand why Sony doesn’t offer more options in terms of official controllers.
Rob

Guilty by association
You can’t laugh in a situation with Borderlands. They bet all the movies were massive hits and the new sequels became a one-two punch to get the series into the mainstream, and now it’s just a punchline to joke about movie flops.

I can only see the release of the movie ruining the game. If I were them, I would delay the game for a year and let people forget about the movie, but they didn’t have enough time for that to happen, which is the worst combination.

I don’t care about Borderlands but I’m worried that the same thing could happen to Zelda. It will be a miracle if the movie does well and if it doesn’t, its name will be tarnished by non-gamers, possibly forever.

I still think an animated movie would be a better idea. It makes more sense given the nature of the game and it’s something that can be more easily disowned if everything goes horribly wrong. No one thinks the Mario Bros. movies are trash talking about the game, but maybe it is when the Zelda action comes to life.
Weston

Inbox well-rans
That Gamescom Open Night Live was actually good, better than most summer events. It could have ended with half an hour shorter, but for once, there were some interesting games and even mild surprises.
Focus

I have to say Emio – The Smiling Man: The Famicom Detective Club looks like a lot of fun. I downloaded the demo and… why is there lift music playing in a game about a serial killer killing a child? And why does the chief detective look like something from a children’s cartoon? Tonal whiplash doesn’t even come close to covering it.
Benjy Dog

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