The next big Xbox exclusive game – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – will arrive on the first-party platform on December 9, publisher Bethesda revealed at Gamescom 2024.
However, the new first-person adventure game will, as rumoured this week, will only be a timed-exclusive for Xbox consoles, PC and Game Pass.
The developer also confirmed the long-awaited title will get a PS5 launch in the spring. That means the exclusivitity for Xbox and PC gamers will be about six months at best. A report from The Verge says Microsoft is looking at a launch as soon as April 2025.
The confirmation of a cross-platform strategy from the Microsoft-owned gaming giant came during a Gamescom 2024 Opening Night, which gave gamers a closer look at the gameplay for the game that’s been developed by MachineGames.
The keynote delivered a look at “almost pure moment-to-moment gameplay. We got a closer look at the open and explorable areas, as well as explanations of tools, combat skills, puzzles and much more. There’s also a great Xbox Wire post explaining the features in more detail.
You can see the data reveal trailer, which has the iconic John Williams soundtrack, below below.
It’s also possible to pre-order the game on Microsoft platforms now, while PS5 gamers will have to wait a little while longer.
The fast turnaround is the clearest indication yet that Microsoft is slowly dismantling the idea of hardware exclusivity. Until now, the games Microsoft has allowed to cross the gaming divide had arguably reached their potential on Xbox. It made sense for Microsoft to squeeze some additional value from PlayStation gamers on titles like Sea of Thieves.
A major new IP featuring one of the most iconic characters ever committed to film within six months though? That’s a significant shift and not one that gamers invested in the Xbox hardware ecosystem are likely to be enthusiastic about.
