Microsoft weighs launching Indiana Jones on the PS5

Bethesda’s upcoming Indiana Jones game is also tentatively set to launch on Sony’s PlayStation 5 console. We got our first glimpse of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle during Microsoft’s Xbox Developer Direct event last month, where it was announced for Xbox and PC. A source familiar with Microsoft’s plans tells The Verge that Bethesda is also considering bringing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to PS5.

A new multi-platform approach for certain Xbox games is emerging inside Microsoft, we’re told, with the company weighing up which titles will remain exclusive and others that will appear on Switch or PS5 in the future. Indiana Jones appears to be part of this new wave of multi-platform games.

While Bethesda will launch its Indiana Jones game first as an Xbox console exclusive, it’s currently set to have a rather short period of exclusivity we’re told. A release for PS5 is being considered for some months later, with Bethesda tentatively targeting a December 2024 launch for the Xbox and PC versions.

Exact timing and platform availability for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle could change, particularly as Microsoft’s new multi-platform approach for Xbox games hasn’t been finalized. Microsoft has been evaluating bringing certain Xbox exclusives to PS5 and Nintendo Switch in recent months. Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush have both reportedly been under cross-platform consideration, and we understand Microsoft has also looked into bringing other Xbox games to rival consoles.

We’re told that a Hi-Fi Rush announcement for non-Xbox platforms is expected in the coming weeks. Datamined game assets hinted at a release for PS5 and Nintendo Switch earlier this week. XboxEra is also reporting that Microsoft is planning to bring Starfield to PS5, following the release of the game’s “Shattered Space” expansion for Xbox and PC.

Last year we learned during the FTC v. Microsoft case that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was originally planned for multiple consoles. Pete Hines, Bethesda’s former head of global publishing, testified that Disney had a contract for multiple consoles and that the deal was amended to be an Xbox console exclusive after Microsoft acquired Bethesda.

Hines put the change down to potential delays in bringing the game to multiple consoles, adding that “you’re dealing with a licensor who’s going to have a ton of feedback on what you’re making, add a lot of time to your schedule.”

An Indiana Jones launch on PS5 would certainly be a surprise, but we’re told there’s still an intense debate internally at Microsoft over which Xbox games to bring to rival consoles. It now looks like Microsoft has settled on some Xbox titles making their way to PS5 and Nintendo Switch, but like I said last month the devil will be in the details.