Report: Microsoft plans Starfield release for PS5 in multiplatform pivot

There have been rumors circling for weeks that Microsoft would be putting some of its Xbox-exclusive content on other platforms, and now it looks like this multiplatform pivot could eventually include another massive entry—Starfield.

Bethesda’s sci-fi blockbuster Starfield will launch on PlayStation 5 at some point after the RPG gets its first major expansion, Shattered Space, according to a report from Xbox Era today. This news comes from an anonymous source who also notes this is part of a shift in internal strategy where keeping games exclusive to Xbox platforms results in money “left on the table.”

Windows Central editor and Microsoft insider Jez Corden also shared info on this pivot, suggesting: “Microsoft has essentially decided they aren’t going to make enough money with the current strategy.” As a result of that conclusion, Microsoft is looking to bring select Xbox properties to PS5 with hopes of creating “healthier margins and cash flow using Sony’s install base.”

This adds a giant title to the previously reported ports of Xbox titles like Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves. With no other specific games listed, this opens the door for other existing and upcoming exclusives, including Bethesda’s Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, to also eventually make the switch. Xbox Era also noted the Hi-Fi Rush port is “tentatively planned for Q1 this year,” with plans also including a Nintendo Switch version for the game.

Xbox Era and multiple other insider sources have also claimed a more direct announcement of Microsoft’s huge plans to put former Xbox-exclusive titles on other platforms will be shared at some point this month. This news hit just weeks after Microsoft laid off nearly 2,000 employees across its gaming divisions—with a heavy focus on the recently acquired Activision Blizzard studios—despite the company becoming the world’s most valuable company around the same time. With that in mind, more drastic changes could be set to follow.

Update Feb. 4 5:12pm CT: Following this Starfield news, a different report was released noting that Microsoft is considering bringing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to PS5 at some point after it releases.

Additionally, news about the Hi-Fi Rush port might be shared in the next few weeks alongside a statement about this new multiplatform approach for Xbox.