Featured Image Credit: Chesnot / Contributor / Emanuele Cremaschi / Contributor / Getty
Console players know the struggle of game exclusivity.
No matter which console-lover you are, there are always games that are exclusive to specific platforms.
However, tech corporation Microsoft has announced that four games that were previously only available to Xbox and PC gamers will soon be offered to other consoles.
Action platformer Hi-Fi Rush and pirate-themed Sea of Thieves which were once Xbox and PC exclusives are now coming to Sony's PlayStation 5.
Advert
Whereas, murder mystery Pentiment and survival co-op Grounded will be able to be played by those on PS4 and PS5, as well as Nintendo Switch.
'These multiplayer titles available will bring more people together and continue to grow their communities of players,' said the head of Xbox game studios Matt Booty.
The announcement follows several weeks' worth of rumours, with some fans predicting the available games. So to some, there may not be much surprise, according to Neil Watton, editor of TheXboxHub.
Two of the games were revealed on Wednesday in the online showcase Nintendo Direct, with Microsoft then saying that four of its legacy titles would be 'going to other consoles.' But these rumours have only been addressed now.
It's hoped that the move will increase the online communities in Grounded and Sea of Thieves. Particularly, as the pirate-based latter relies purely on multiplayer servers and player interaction, with no offline option.
'It's those jumping into Grounded and Sea of Thieves who will ultimately be rewarded, with full cross-play across platforms building the player base immediately on launch in April,' he told the BBC.
'When you consider the depth of the cooperative play found in those titles, the moves make complete and utter sense.'
PS5 players can expect to see Bethesda's Hi-Fi Rush on the PS Store on March 18th, with Sea of Thieves expected to hit the online shelves on April 30th.
Furthermore, PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch players will be able to grab Pentiment on February 22nd and Grounded on April 16th.
Microsoft has denied recent rumours suggesting that Xbox exclusives like Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle could be making their way to other consoles.
Nevertheless, the company has suggested that exclusive games may be 'less important to its console strategy in the future.'
'[I have] a fundamental belief that over the next five or ten years... games that are exclusive to one piece of hardware are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the game industry,' Xbox CEO Phil Spencer said.
