Could PlayStation benefit from Xbox games going multiplatform?

In less than one day, we’ll all know the future of Xbox — Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty plan to make an appearance on the official Xbox podcast to discuss the topic. This comes after days of chatter following the supposed leak of Xbox multiplatform news. Specifically, some of Xbox’s formerly exclusive titles are set to launch on other, ostensibly “rival” platforms. Since Spencer et al will either confirm or deny that very shortly, there’s no point yarning about that — but perhaps we should be asking how PlayStation is doing?

Sony released its quarterly sales report for Q3 of FY2023, in which it confirmed two things. First, it missed its sales targets for the quarter by almost one million units and has reduced its forecast for the year from 25 million units sold to 21 million units. Second, it confirmed during its presentation that it will not release any new titles in its existing first-party franchises in this coming fiscal year — meaning, not before April 2025 at the earliest.

Sony is in no way doing poorly as a games company — sales for PS5s were up year-over-year. However, it did note that the console is reaching the latter half of its life, and its unit sales might continue to dwindle. So, let’s ask the question: If Xbox is cooking up news about multiplatform releases for its exclusive titles, would PlayStation at all benefit from that?

Obviously, the answer to the most basic form of that question — “Would PlayStation benefit from having more games?” — is yes. Leaving aside the notions of the “console wars,” largely a marketing gimmick to begin with, PlayStation could only benefit from having more games in its calendar and a more convivial relationship with its fellow games companies. But would it help to have Xbox’s games on its consoles specifically?

Getting Xbox games to PlayStation

The report from XboxEra suggests that the planned multiplatform Xbox releases include Hi-Fi Rush, Starfield and Sea of Thieves. Hi-Fi Rush and Starfield are both single-player titles (though that’s about all they have in common), which are largely a draw for PlayStation users — particularly if they can get them via PlayStation Plus. Sony has also said it wants more live service games on its platform, and Sea of Thieves would fit that bill — particularly if it came with cross-platform access to the title’s existing playerbase.

In its earnings presentation, Sony executives note that they expect a gradual increase in third-party software sales over the next fiscal year, while first-party sales decline due to a relatively empty calendar. It’s worth noting that they said “existing” franchises, meaning there’s also space for a new IP to make its mark, but Sony is still planning for lower sales on its now-mature console. So if it’s leaning on third-party releases to make up the difference, Xbox games can only help push the needle.

It’s also worth noting that Sony itself seems to be thinking along similar lines to Xbox’s alleged announcement. PlayStation chairman Hiroki Totoki said in a Q&A after the briefing that the company plans to put its releases on PC more swiftly than it has before to increase profits. So it recognizes the benefits of multiplatform releases, even if the other platform in question is PC rather than its fellow consoles.

PlayStation is ahead of Xbox in console sales, but if the company isn’t meeting its own expectations, then that doesn’t mean anything. PlayStation needs more games to fill out its calendar, and Xbox needs more sales of its first-party games. There’s a reciprocal benefit to be had here, and the notion that these companies wouldn’t avail themselves of it because they’re “rivals” feels short-sighted. To quote Jeff Grubb at GiantBomb, “Maybe PlayStation has won the console war, but so what?”