"Xbox Games Outshine PS5: Oblivion, Minecraft, Forza Lead Sales"

Microsoft's multiplatform strategy is proving highly successful, as evidenced by its strong performance on the PlayStation 5, in addition to its presence on Xbox Series X and S and PC. This success was recently confirmed by Sony through a PlayStation blog post detailing the top-selling games on the PlayStation Store for April 2025.

In the U.S. and Canada, Microsoft titles dominated the PS5's non-free-to-play download chart, with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Minecraft, and Forza Horizon 5 securing the top three spots. The trend continued in Europe, where Forza Horizon 5 led the chart, followed by The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and Minecraft.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, backed by Microsoft for a day-one Game Pass launch and featured in Xbox showcase broadcasts, also ranked highly on both charts. Additionally, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 from Microsoft-owned Activision and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from Microsoft-owned Bethesda made significant appearances in the rankings.

This data underscores the universal appeal of quality games, regardless of their origin. The strong performance of these titles on PlayStation is no surprise, especially considering the anticipation surrounding Forza Horizon 5's launch on PS5. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has been fulfilling the demand for Bethesda's signature gameplay across both PC and console platforms, while Minecraft continues to captivate audiences, further boosted by the viral success of the Minecraft movie.

This trend marks a new era for Microsoft, which recently announced Gears of War: Reloaded for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, set to release in August. It seems increasingly likely that even iconic Xbox exclusives like Halo may follow suit and expand to other platforms.

Last year, Microsoft's gaming chief Phil Spencer emphasized that there are no "red lines" preventing any of their first-party titles, including Halo, from going multiplatform. In a conversation with Bloomberg, Spencer highlighted Microsoft's flexible approach to game distribution, stating, "I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say 'thou must not.'"

Spencer has articulated that Microsoft's multiplatform strategy is partly driven by the need to increase revenue for its gaming division, especially following the monumental $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. He remarked in August, "We run a business. It's definitely true inside of Microsoft the bar is high for us in terms of the delivery we have to give back to the company. Because we get a level of support from the company that's just amazing and what we're able to go do. So I look at this, how can we make our games as strong as possible? Our platform continues to grow, on console, on PC, and on cloud. It's just going to be a strategy that works for us."

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Former Xbox executive Peter Moore, in an interview with IGN last year, suggested that the idea of bringing Halo to PlayStation has likely been a topic of discussion within Microsoft for some time. He explained, "Look, if Microsoft says, wait, we're doing $250 million on our own platforms, but if we then took Halo as, let's call it a third-party, we could do a billion… You got to think long and hard about that, right?" Moore acknowledged Halo's significant role in Xbox's identity but emphasized the importance of leveraging intellectual property for broader business growth.

Moore also addressed potential backlash from hardcore Xbox fans, noting that while their reactions are significant, they should not deter Microsoft from making strategic business decisions. He stated, "The question would be, ultimately, is that reaction enough not to make a fundamental business decision for the future of not only Microsoft's business, but gaming in itself? Those hardcore are getting smaller in size and older in age. You've got to cater to the generations that are coming through, because they're going to drive the business over the next 10, 20 years."