"We run a business": Phil Spencer justifies the arrival of Indiana Jones on PS5 and responds to criticism from Xbox fans

The executive anticipates more changes in Xbox's strategy and the industry in general

"We run a business": Phil Spencer justifies the arrival of Indiana Jones on PS5 and responds to criticism from Xbox fans

The executive anticipates more changes in Xbox's strategy and the industry in general

During the Opening Night Live of gamescom 2024, it was confirmed that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be a timed exclusive for Xbox and will arrive on PlayStation 5 in the spring of 2025. This news did not sit well with all Xbox fans, leading to criticism of Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Gaming, flooding social media.

Earlier this morning, the executive participated in a Q&A session during a special gamescom 2024 broadcast. There, he justified the arrival of the Bethesda and MachineGames title on Sony's console. He also delved a bit into Xbox's new strategy to respond to recent criticisms.

Phil Spencer breaks his silence and talks about the arrival of Indiana Jones on PS5

An announcement that sparked harsh criticism of Phil Spencer and Xbox
An announcement that sparked harsh criticism of Phil Spencer and Xbox

Months ago, Phil Spencer stated that Xbox would only bring 4 of its games to other consoles. Players were quick to recall these statements after the arrival of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PS5 was confirmed, especially since Spencer had previously said that MachineGames' title and Starfield would not be on that list.

In the recent interview, Spencer emphasized that this was just the beginning of their new strategy and that the first 4 titles were part of a learning process. It appears that Xbox and Microsoft are pleased with the results, so they will continue down the multiplatform path.

"Going to the PlayStation announcement, obviously, last Spring we launched four games —two of them on the Switch, four of them on PlayStation —and we said we were going to learn. I think at the Showcase I might have said that from our learning, we’re going to do more," Spencer said.

He later asserted that Xbox is in a great position, with a high number of players and strong franchises. He also mentioned that Microsoft has high expectations for its gaming division, so they must make the necessary decisions because, after all, it’s a business.

"What I see when I look is that our franchises are getting stronger, our Xbox console players this year are as high as they’ve ever been, so I look at it and I say, our player numbers are going up for the console platform, our franchises are as strong as they’ve ever been… and we run a business.

“It’s definitely true inside of Microsoft that the bar is high for us in terms of the delivery that we have to give back to the company, because we get a level of support from the company that is just amazing in terms of what we’re able to go do," Spencer added.

The executive emphasized that they will continue on the necessary path for their ecosystem to remain successful, especially since the industry outlook is challenging and it’s crucial to find new ways to grow. In this regard, he suggested that there will be more changes in Xbox's strategy and in the rest of the sector.

"I think for us as fans and players of games, we just have to anticipate there’s going to be more change in how some of the more traditional ways that games were built and distributed —that’s going to change for all of us. But the end result needs to be better games that more people can play. If we’re not focused on that, we’re focused on the wrong things," Spencer concluded.

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