Xbox boss Phil Spencer says Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to PS5 because "it's a strategy that works for us" and "our franchises are getting stronger"

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Microsoft is also expecting a return on its investment

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
(Image credit: Xbox)

Xbox head Phil Spencer has commented on bringing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to PlayStation platforms next year, saying "our franchises are getting stronger."

The new Indiana Jones game has caused quite a stir over the last 24 hours. Back in February, Spencer stated that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle wouldn't be one of four upcoming Xbox games that would eventually come to PlayStation platforms. Then, yesterday at Gamescom Opening Night Live, it was revealed that the Indiana Jones game would be coming to PS5 in Spring 2025.

A lot of people have taken this to be Spencer reneging on his previous statement, but that isn't the case. Spencer merely said that Indiana Jones wouldn't be one of the first four Xbox-published titles to hit PlayStation platforms, and it isn't - that honor belongs to Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and Sea of Thieves. So Xbox's strategy didn't contradict Spencer's statement earlier this year.

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Earlier today at Gamescom, Spencer was asked about how Indiana Jones' exclusivity period connects back to Xbox's strategy regarding exclusives. "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," Spencer says in a livestream.

Spencer then explains that, within Microsoft, the "bar is high for us in terms of the delivery that we have to give back to the company." In other words, Microsoft has to see profit from its Xbox-published games like Indiana Jones. "So I look at this: how can we make our games as strong as possible, [to ensure that] our platform continues to grow both on console, PC, and cloud, and I think it's just going to be a strategy that works for us," the Xbox head concludes.

Check out our full Indiana Jones and the Great Circle preview from Gamescom for our hands-off take on the new game and a chat with developers at machinegames.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.