Microsoft plans to bring more Xbox games to PS5 as part of ‘Latitude’ plan: Report

Microsoft announced in February that it would bring four of its exclusive Xbox titles to rival platforms from Sony and Nintendo. It looks like the company isn’t stopping with its four first-party games coming to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. A new report claims that the Xbox parent intends to make a multi-platform push for more of its games. Under the plan, internally codenamed “Latitude,” more upcoming first-party Xbox titles are said to be in development for the PS5.

Windows Central report didn’t name any Xbox titles planned for PS5 release, but said the titles are “potentially obvious games” that one would expect to release on competing platforms. “More upcoming Microsoft-owned games planned for PlayStation are already in development,” the report said.

While announcing its plan to release some of its exclusive titles on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch in February, Microsoft tried to draw a line, confirming that its biggest exclusive titles like Bethesda’s Starfield and the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will not be released on PS5. However, the new report says that Microsoft is willing to consider a more open-ended approach to releasing its games on competing platforms. “… Microsoft insists there is no ‘red line’ on what games can come to PlayStation, and it’s all about Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood’s mandate to increase each division’s margins,” the report claims.

Although the company is working on plans to bring more games to Sony and Nintendo consoles, Latitude is not without internal controversy. The report says the plan has sparked debate and concern at Microsoft, with questions being raised about its merits.

As part of its announcement earlier this year, Microsoft has already released Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded and Sea of ​​Thieves on competing consoles, indicating a shift in its strategy towards exclusivity. The announcement of more upcoming PS5 and Nintendo Switch games will cement this shift towards finding new players for games outside of its own Xbox ecosystem.

Microsoft’s gaming division added significant muscle last year with the $69 billion acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard, but Xbox has struggled to see the fruits of its expanding roster of studios. Last week, the company announced it was closing three of its studios and absorbing another into an existing team as part of its plan to shift focus to its “priority games.” Hi-Fi Rush maker Tango Gameworks, Redfall developer Arkane Austin, and Alpha Dog Games, creators of the mobile game Mighty Doom, were shut down, while Roundhouse Studios, which also contributed to Redfall’s development, was absorbed by ZeniMax Online Studios.

After the shutdown, a report from Bloomberg claimed that Microsoft was planning more layoffs at Xbox, and the company had begun offering voluntary severance agreements to producers, quality assurance testers and other staff at Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax.

Microsoft has yet to make an official statement regarding the studio closures and reported layoffs, but the company is set to hold an Xbox Games Showcase event on June 9, where it will reveal its upcoming lineup of exclusive and third-party titles.