One of the biggest reveals from the Xbox gamescom 2017 event was that Microsoft is partnering with Bluehole Studio to help bring PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds to Xbox One. Microsoft will be publishing the Xbox One version of the game when it releases later this year.

However, despite being described as an "exclusive," PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds may only be a timed exclusive on Xbox One. On Twitter, the game's community manager was asked whether it was a "100% exclusive" and seemed to sidestep the question. Although the exchange confirmed that the game would not come to any other consoles with Microsoft as the publisher, when a fan said that the question had not been answered, they were told that Bluehole has "nothing further to announce at this time."

When Microsoft was asked for a statement clarifying the situation, the company also seemed to avoid the question. It only reiterated that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds will be a "console launch exclusive on Xbox One and right now, the development team is solely focused on bringing the best game possible on Xbox One and PC."

The curious wording of Microsoft's statements and the community manager's replies have raised questions about whether or not Bluehole's hugely popular battle royale game could come to PS4. The situation may remind fans of Rise of the Tomb Raider's timed exclusivity on Xbox consoles as Microsoft and Square Enix initially refused to state whether the game could ever come to Sony platforms or not. That game did eventually come to PS4 after some time, but it was followed with confusion (and frustration) from fans.

It's understandable why Microsoft and Bluehole aren't offering any more information about the game's release plans. Exclusivity agreements are done in the hopes that they will encourage more people to buy a particular platform. If the two companies were to confirm that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds could come to PS4 later down the line, it could discourage people from getting the Xbox One version or from buying the Microsoft console altogether. As Battlegrounds will get an Xbox One X enhanced version, the game is a major part of Microsoft's marketing plan for the new console, which is yet another reason to avoid the questions.

If there is any change of the game coming to PS4 (or any other console) then Bluehole will need to find a different publisher. And even if the developer could bring its games to other non-Xbox One platforms, it could still be some time until a formal announcement is made on that front.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is set to launch exclusively on Xbox One as part of the Xbox Game Preview program in late 2017, with a final version of the game launching in early 2018 across all Xbox One devices. It is currently available on PC.

Source: Game Informer