Microsoft's multiplatform strategy is clearly proving successful, as evidenced by their strong performance on the PlayStation 5, in addition to Xbox Series X and S and PC. Sony's PlayStation blog post for April 2025 highlights this trend, showcasing the top-selling games on the PlayStation Store.
In the U.S. and Canada, Microsoft games dominated the top three spots on the PS5's non-free-to-play download chart, with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Minecraft, and Forza Horizon 5 leading the pack. Similarly, in Europe, Forza Horizon 5 took the top spot, followed by The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and Minecraft.
Microsoft's strategic investments are also paying dividends, as seen with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which secured a high ranking on both charts after Microsoft secured it for a day-one Game Pass launch and featured it in Xbox showcases. Additionally, titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 from Microsoft-owned Activision and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from Microsoft-owned Bethesda have also made strong showings on the charts.
These results underscore a simple truth: quality games from any publisher, including Microsoft, can achieve top sales positions. It's no surprise that these games are performing well on PlayStation. Forza Horizon 5, developed by Playground Games, filled a much-needed niche on the PS5, eagerly awaited by fans. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has satisfied the demand for Bethesda's immersive worlds across both PC and console platforms, while Minecraft continues to thrive, boosted by the viral success of the Minecraft movie.
This trend represents the new normal for Microsoft, which recently announced Gears of War: Reloaded for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, set to release in August. It seems increasingly likely that even Halo, once an Xbox exclusive, will follow suit.
Last year, Microsoft's gaming chief, Phil Spencer, emphasized that there are no "red lines" preventing any first-party titles, including Halo, from going multiplatform. In an interview with Bloomberg, Spencer noted that every Xbox game is a candidate for multiplatform release. "I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say 'thou must not,'" he stated.
Spencer has also highlighted that Microsoft's push towards multiplatform gaming is partly driven by the need to increase revenue for its gaming division, especially following the massive $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. "We run a business," Spencer said in August. "It's definitely true inside of Microsoft the bar is high for us in terms of the delivery we have to give back to the company. Because we get a level of support from the company that's just amazing and what we're able to go do."
"So I look at this, how can we make our games as strong as possible? Our platform continues to grow, on console, on PC, and on cloud. It's just going to be a strategy that works for us."
Former Xbox executive Peter Moore told IGN that the idea of bringing Halo to PlayStation has likely been discussed at Microsoft for some time. "Look, if Microsoft says, wait, we're doing $250 million on our own platforms, but if we then took Halo as, let's call it a third-party, we could do a billion… You got to think long and hard about that, right?" Moore explained.
"I mean, you just got to go, yeah, should it be kept? It's a piece of intellectual property. It's bigger than just a game. And how do you leverage that? Those are the conversations that always happen with, how do you leverage it in everything that we would do?"
"It's had its ups and downs, but look, Xbox wouldn't be what Xbox is without Halo. But yeah, I'm sure those conversations are happening. Whether they come to fruition, who knows? But they're definitely happening, I'm sure."
Microsoft faces potential backlash from hardcore Xbox fans who feel the console's value is being diminished by the lack of exclusives and Microsoft's broader marketing strategy. The prospect of Halo moving to PlayStation could further fuel this discontent. However, Moore emphasized to IGN that such reactions might not deter Microsoft from making strategic business decisions.
"The question would be, ultimately, is that reaction enough not to make a fundamental business decision for the future of not only Microsoft's business, but gaming in itself?" Moore said. "Those hardcore are getting smaller in size and older in age. You've got to cater to the generations that are coming through, because they're going to drive the business over the next 10, 20 years."
