As Xbox continues to shift its focus away from console exclusives and instead prioritize releasing many of its first-party games on multiple platforms, Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan has made it clear that Xbox wants to be more consistent with the timing of how it releases games for the PlayStation 5. Xbox launched a number of key titles for its rival console in 2025, but many fans seemed to notice that many random games that day. systems, while other Xbox games have experienced major delays before coming to PS5. Whether directly addressing audience outrage or simply wanting to create a more sustainable model, Duncan talked about current plans at Xbox Game Studios to ensure better launch strategies moving forward.
Long-time gaming fans are no doubt familiar with the infamous “console wars” of the mid-2000s and 2010s, when Xbox and PlayStation vied to dominate the console market. So-called battles between Xbox 360 vs. PlayStation 3, Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4, and even Xbox Series X|S vs. PlayStation 5 have fueled innovation among developers and excitement among fans, though many see the future as far less competitive. This is largely due to Xbox's focus on multi-platform launches, which Craig Duncan has reiterated as a key focus for Xbox Game Studios.
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What are Xbox's plans for releasing games on PS5?
In an interview with Games Radar, Craig Duncan was asked how Xbox Game Studios determines when certain games will be released on other platforms. Duncan responded that Xbox wants its games to “reach as many players as possible”, and seeing a large influx of active players following the release of PlayStation 5 games was a welcome sight, and he wants to continue to ensure that PlayStation fans have access to Xbox releases, although earlier timelines for cross-platform launches were on a case-by-case basis. When asked about this inconsistency in how Xbox games launch on the PS5, Duncan admitted that the “reality of development” may contribute to how long it takes the team to get a game ready for multiple platforms. Fable continuation a Forza 6 releases as examples of different development schedules that resulted in some Xbox games arriving on PS5 on day one (Fable), while others may experience slight lag (Forza 6).
Duncan went on to emphasize the importance of making sure each game is as good as possible for each specific platform, which “can lead to some leeway” affected by resource constraints and subsequent delays between Xbox and PlayStation releases. Notably, he acknowledged that the desire for more Xbox games released on PS systems was “absolutely fair feedback” and said that Xbox Game Studios “will be working” and trying to “be more consistent”. However, he ended by stressing the importance of quality releases over diversified releases, pointing out that the team will absolutely stick to picking and choosing which games launch first on PC, first on Xbox, or simultaneously across platforms, all depending on how to ensure the studio “does the best job on each platform.”
While audiences and pundits may remain divided on Xbox's cross-platform strategy, many fans were happy to see more titles becoming available on all console platforms, including Xbox, PlayStation, and even Nintendo Switch 2. PC has also remained a key platform for Xbox, courtesy of PC Game Pass and the “everything is Xbox” ideology, and despite some development setbacks that will no doubt affect certain plans for Dunig's multi-platform game to keep players Xbox and other platforms to keep in mind as you prepare for the future.
