Over the past few years, the Xbox brand has pivoted its role in the industry. What used to be the exclusive home for first-party franchises like Halo, Gears of War, and Forza is now seeing its games released on Sony and Nintendo consoles.
It's an event that, even if you go back ten years, seems impossible; why would a rival console maker release their marquee titles on a competing platform? For starters, it's because those in charge of the Xbox brand believe the industry has moved past the need for exclusive games.
“We’re really seeing people evolve way past that,” Sarah Bond, president of Microsoft, told Mashable recently. “The biggest games in the world are available everywhere. You look at Call of Duty, you look at Minecraft, you look at Fortnite, you look at Roblox. That’s actually what’s really driving community in gaming. That’s where people gather, they have experiences."
Bond has a point: some of the largest communities in gaming are Call of Duty, Minecraft, and Roblox. The first two are Microsoft-owned properties, and the last thing they want to do is fracture those communities.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-party Xbox game, is currently...
