Xbox-only games are coming to other consoles

Tech giant Microsoft is releasing four games, that are usually only available for XBox, out on rival consoles.

The names of the four games have not been revealed yet.

Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's gaming division said the move is to "use what some of the other platforms have right now to help grow our franchises".

Despite keeping the specific games under wraps for now, he ruled out Indiana Jones and the Great Circle going to other consoles.

That game is being developed by Bethesda, which was bought by Microsoft in 2021 and has resulted in other Bethesda titles being released on Xbox only.

So why is Microsoft releasing games on other systems?

Sales of the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, which were released in 2020, have not been as popular as Sony's PlayStation 5 or the Nintendo Switch.

But Microsoft's Game Pass service, where players pay for access to hundreds of games, has 34 million subscribers.

And in the past Microsoft has been known to favour exclusivity for games on its consoles and on Games Pass.

If you can't see this vote, click here.

So what's changed?

Big Microsoft gaming boss Phil Spencer says the games industry is changing. Once known as the 'console wars' - where gamers would have loyalty to one platform over another - isn't such a big factor any more.

"I have a fundamental belief that in the next five to ten years, exclusive games, which are exclusive to one piece of hardware, are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the games industry," he said.

And, it's not just Xbox who are taking this approach.

There's a suggestion that Sony PlayStation is planning to do something similar. Sony's Interim gaming president Hiroki Totoki recently said that he wanted to put more PlayStation games onto other platforms.

Most PlayStation or Xbox exclusive games do eventually arrive on PC, but it's rare that they ever make it over to the rival companies console.

BBC Technology editor, Zoe Kleinman says: "Why restrict access to your best-selling titles when there's a vast audience with alternative devices out there who also want to buy them, play them, and pay for in-game extras?"

What Xbox games might we see on other consoles?

Microsoft hasn't revealed the titles that will be appearing on other systems, however Phil Spencer has said that there will be two "community-driven games," and two other smaller titles that weren't meant to be exclusive to Xbox anyway.