Console exclusive games have been a mainstay of the industry ever since their earliest days. First-party titles have always been something that gives game companies an edge over the competition, enticing gamers towards their consoles with the promise of an experience they can't find anywhere else. While gaming has become much more connected with the advent of cross-play over the past few years, companies like Sony and Microsoft are still incredibly aggressive over getting exclusive rights to certain games. For Xbox in particular, the company's next big move against PlayStation could be the upcoming Indiana Jones game.
Announced at the beginning of this year, the upcoming Indiana Jones game was a surprise on many levels. Not only did it accompany the announcement of the new Lucasfilm Games licensor, but it was revealed that the game would be helmed by Bethesda and MachineGames. At the time of its announcement, there was uncertainty over whether or not the game would be an Xbox exclusive because of Microsoft's impending acquisition of Bethesda. That decision still hasn't been finalized, but with how aggressive Sony and Microsoft have been with exclusives to start this newest generation of consoles, Indiana Jones could very well be on the way to becoming an Xbox exclusive by some degree.
The Threat Of KOTOR Remake On PS5
There may be one thing that forces the hand of Microsoft to try and make the upcoming Indiana Jones game a console exclusive, and that's the recently announced Knights of the Old Republic Remake. After months of rumors, the game was finally confirmed at the recent PlayStation Showcase as a timed PS5 exclusive. This was a huge victory for PlayStation fans, and it oddly went full circle with KOTOR's exclusivity on the original Xbox. It's rare that a major game under the Star Wars license will be an exclusive like this nowadays, but it could give Microsoft an opportunity with Indiana Jones.
If Xbox is able to get some kind of exclusivity for Indiana Jones, timed or otherwise, it could level the playing field a bit when going up against KOTOR Remake. While the premise of Indiana Jones and Star Wars are dramatically different, they are both Lucasfilm properties. If Xbox is able to have its own Lucasfilm game while PlayStation has KOTOR, it could still satisfy fans that simply want to enjoy the storytelling that is associated with Lucasfilm properties. It's been a while since there's been a proper Indiana Jones game, and with Todd Howard serving as executive producer, it could be a huge boon to Xbox fans.
Xbox's Uphill Battle Against PlayStation Exclusives
The past few years of the "console war" between PlayStation and Xbox have been built on each other's ability to put out eye-catching exclusives. As it stands right now, PlayStation has arguably been winning that war with big titles like God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Marvel's Spider-Man. While much of the Xbox One's life cycle wasn't marked by as many big titles, Microsoft appears to be much more aggressive with the Series X/S.
Upcoming games like Starfield and The Outer Worlds 2 already fill out a big exclusive game lineup for the future of Xbox, especially considering the latter is a sequel to a game that was previously available on PlayStation. If this opportunistic attitude persists, Xbox could very well try to use the Indiana Jones game to get a leg up on PlayStation's lineup of big adventure games. It would certainly be a step in the right direction for Xbox after the fleet of exclusive PlayStation games that were revealed at the recent PlayStation Showcase.
Even with these possibilities, it should be said that there is no official word on whether or not the upcoming Indiana Jones game will be an Xbox exclusive. Indiana Jones was in very early development when it was announced, so it's unlikely that any discussions are taking place regarding the game's console exclusivity. Gamers will just have to keep a close eye on Indiana Jones and see if it becomes Xbox's response to PlayStation's massive console exclusive success.
An Indiana Jones game is currently in development.