Former Xbox-exclusive Pentiment out on Switch tomorrow, Grounded due in April

Looks like Microsoft’s decision to port live service Xbox exclusive Sea of Thieves to PS5 is unlikely to land the company in choppy waters, as the title is currently making a charge on the PS Store’s pre-order charts. At the time of typing, the Rare sailing escapade occupies several spots on PlayStation’s upcoming best-sellers list, including the number one position above heavy hitters like Dragon’s Dogma 2, Rise of the Ronin, and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Peter Moore, the former vice-president of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business division who oversaw both the original Xbox and Xbox 360, has offered some fascinating insight into the current gaming landscape and the potential future of the industry.

The last few months have made it quite clear that the console market hasn’t grown the way the likes of Microsoft and Sony would have wanted. Xbox sales have been inconsistent at best for a while now, and PS5 recently also missed its sales targets by a notable margin. Combined with the mass layoffs the games industry has been hit with over the last 14 months (and 2024 in particular) – with the likes of PlayStation, Microsoft, EA, Riot Games, Embracer Group, and many others have cut a significant number of jobs – it’s no surprise that questions are being asked about the future of the business louder than they have been in a while.

Former Xbox, Sega and Electronic Arts executive Peter Moore believes that “serious questions” are being asked about the future of console generations.

The biggest Xbox news of the year has undoubtedly been the ongoing speculation that the gaming giant is moving away from exclusives, planning to share more of its games with PlayStation and Nintendo. So far, this has already given us a multiplatform release of Pentiment, but we're also getting Grounded, Sea of Thieves, and Hi-Fi Rush on rival platforms.

Microsoft is likely debating the future of Xbox consoles, as the market is rapidly changing, making launching new hardware more difficult and expensive, according to Xbox and EA's former boss.

Valiant Hearts: Coming Home is now available across consoles and PC, following its previous launch for smartphones via Netflix.

Balatro, the poker-themed rogue-like from solo developer LocalThunk that's been a huge critical and commercial hit since releasing last week, has been unexpectedly yanked from sale in some countries, with publisher Playstack blaming the issue on a surprise ratings change.

Former Xbox exclusive Pentiment currently runs smoother on PlayStation 5 than on Xbox Series X/S, fans have realised — prompting the game's director to blame the situation on a «bug».

Dungeons of Hinterberg, a gorgeous new Xbox exclusive indie that mixes Stardew Valley-like relationship building with Breath of the Wild's exploration, has a release window. It'll be out this summer.

Microsoft first-party games Pentiment, Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush, and Sea of Thieves will soon be available on Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation platforms. Xbox confirmed on Wednesday that much like other popular multi-platform games like Minecraft, Call of Duty, Overwatch and Diablo, players will soon be able to access these exclusive games on their Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles. This move underscores a larger trend in the gaming industry towards greater accessibility and cross-platform interoperability. By adopting this strategy, the company hopes to encourage greater inclusivity and reach a wider range of gamers.

World of Goo 2 is set to debut as a Nintendo Switch console exclusive on May 23. Its release date and Switch console exclusivity have both been revealed during the latest Nintendo Direct, which also featured new gameplay footage from the sequel to one of the highest-rated Wii games ever made.