For the gamers without an Xbox yet still clamoring for some of their exclusives to be playable on PS4 or Switch, there might be hope in the near future. Microsoft's Matt Booty recently said in an interview that some of Xbox’s first party Game Studios titles may eventually end up on other consoles.
Speaking to Game Informer, Booty said that some of Microsoft’s first-party studios - such as the recently-acquired Double Fine and Obsidian Entertainment - may eventually be able to create games for other platforms. The argument here is that the usual case when a company purchases a studio, and in turn, gets the rights to all exclusives. Booty said, "I think that the question is less binary about, 'Should it be on Switch, should it be on PlayStation?' and more, 'Does it make sense for the franchise?'"
Booty's rationale is that some games and franchises may benefit from a "network effect" of being available on multiple platforms. Though some titles and franchises may still be better off staying solely on xCloud, Game Pass, and Xbox Live. Minecraft is a solid example of this. Microsoft owns the rights to it, yet it’s available on almost every modern platform. Minecraft is one of the biggest games in the world, and it's hard to imagine if it would be such a hit without it being on multiple consoles.
The ultimate belief from Xbox and Microsoft executives is that if they feel a franchise would benefit from casting a wider net and that it would support Xbox as a whole, then it's a candidate for other consoles. Titles like Halo, Forza, and Sea of Thieves are likely to stay Microsoft-exclusives since those are doing fine as-is.
With Microsoft investing more in its first-party lineup and even single-player games, it will be interesting to see how many Xbox Game Studios titles actually make it to other consoles.
Source: IGN