Xbox is leaving the door open for one of its upcoming first-party games, The Outer Worlds 2, to potentially be released on PlayStation platforms. The Outer Worlds 2 is currently announced for both PC and Xbox Series X/S, but according to new comments from Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty it's possible it could come to PlayStation platforms, too. To say that Xbox's future multiplatform support for specific games, The Outer Worlds 2 or otherwise, is tenuous and political would be an understatement, though.
Following the acquisition of Bethesda, Xbox followed through on all the new division's contracts for games planned for PlayStation devices. Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo are the two full-release examples of this. Since then, Bethesda releases have been exclusive to Xbox-supported platforms. Hi-Fi Rush, Redfall, and the upcoming release of Starfield are all exclusive to PC and Xbox Series X/S. The decision to make Bethesda titles exclusive has been controversial, but there's no indication Xbox has reconsidered the practice.
The Outer Worlds 2 may be in a unique situation that could lead to it being released on PlayStation platforms in the future, shifting away from Xbox's current practices. As part of a deposition provided for a federal trial tied to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Booty discussed the potential exclusivity of The Outer Worlds 2. Booty explained that a decision had "not been made" regarding whether The Outer Worlds 2 would be released on PlayStation.
As for why The Outer Worlds 2 could come to PlayStation platforms and not other games, Booty provides a sensible explanation. He says Microsoft might release The Outer Worlds 2 on PlayStation because there's a community already there from the first game. In other words, Xbox may want to stay committed to that audience rather than pass them by.
Another possibility for why Booty would say this is to make Xbox look better in front of a judge. It's entirely possible, if not extremely likely, that The Outer Worlds 2 will still be a PC and Xbox Series X/S exclusive. Booty could simply be posturing to make it seem like Xbox isn't as competitive as it might seem. Or, more specifically, to show that it may not necessarily make Call of Duty exclusive like Sony claims Microsoft will do.
If Booty says there's a possibility that The Outer Worlds 2 could launch on PlayStation consoles, then it's not an impossibility. The Outer Worlds fans on PlayStation probably shouldn't hold their breath, though. If Xbox intended to release The Outer Worlds 2 on PlayStation, it probably would have said so already.
The Outer Worlds 2 is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: IGN