Image source: Bethesda
It’s fair to say that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, officially revealed last month, is one of Bethesda’s most anticipated games. As Bethesda are ultimately owned by Microsoft, as you’d expect, Indiana Jones will be released on Xbox consoles and PC. Surprisingly, however, The Verge have reported that Microsoft are considering bring Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to PS5.
Digging in the Wrong Place
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is being developed by MachineGames of Wolfenstein fame. From a studio of such pedigree (the awful Wolfenstein: Young Blood aside), we have high hopes. It’s easy to imagine that Microsoft would be tempted to hold up The Great Circle as the next must-have Microsoft exclusive. But would that be the wisest approach? Could we see Indiana Jones on PS5 too?
According to The Verge report, Microsoft are weighing up which of their upcoming titles to keep exclusive and which to go multi-platform. Although it may seem surprising, it makes sense. The PS5 install base is huge. Ignoring that leaves a lot of potential revenue from PlayStation owners on the table.
What’s more, with Microsoft’s pledge to put AAA games on Game Pass at release, sales will inevitable take a hit. And after the astonishing ABK acquisition, you’d image that Microsoft would want to maximize revenue as much as possible.
Fortune and Glory
Todd Howard may have believed that Starfield will be played for a long time, but we’re rather more sceptical. For all its positive qualities, there’s no denying that Starfield hasn’t had the stellar reception and impact on the gaming landscape that Bethesda will have hoped. Once again, Microsoft’s release schedule is looking a little underwhelming.
Microsoft may not believe that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be the game to sell Game Pass subscriptions and Xbox consoles. And they’re probably right. It therefore makes a lot of sense to get it into as many players’ hands as possible. If that means putting Indiana Jones on PS5, so be it.
Indiana Jones likely won’t be setting a precedent, either. It seems almost certain that current Xbox-exclusive Hi-Fi Rush will be coming to PS5 and Switch after a datamine revealed as much.
In short, it would be a surprising move if Indiana Jones did come to PS5. But it’s certainly not outside the realms of possibility. Only time will tell if The Verge’s source is correct. At WGD, we like to see games on as many platforms as possible, so we’re hoping the rumor is true. Either way, we’re looking forward to donning our fedoras some time this year.
