Microsoft on the decision to delay Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on the PS5

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the latest offering from Bethesda Softworks and MachineGames (of Wolfenstein: The New Order and Doom II episode, “Legacy of Rust” fame) sees the most famous archaeologist in fiction not named Lara Croft tackling Nazis (or whipping them, or sneaking past them or hitting them with shovels and other random objects) in an brand-new narrative set between the events of the Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade films. The game has already garnered praise from critics and players alike in treasure-trove-sized amounts but for the meantime, it’s an Xbox and PC exclusive.

While Microsoft announced that the game would also be coming to PS5 (technically the game could remain Xbox and PC exclusive considering Microsoft absorbed ZeniMax Media, Bethesda’s parent company back in March 2021 in a $7.5 billion merger), that won’t be the case until approximately six months from now this spring.

Xbox studios boss Matt Booty further clarified the decision to delay Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on the PS5, as well as Microsoft’s plans for Xbox exclusivity in the future in a recent sit-down with Variety

“We are very much making the [exclusivity] decisions on a game by game basis,” Booty said. “And each of our studios is in a little bit of a different position.”

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle/Bethesda

In the case of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on the PS5, Booty says that the priority was to ensure that there was “a great experience for Xbox players” before making the game available on other consoles.

“There’s also the production timeline on a game, so the decision on spacing comes there first,” Booty added. “We want to make sure there’s a great experience for our Xbox players, and then the gap between [when it becomes available on PlayStation] is as much a production decision as it is anything else.”

If Indiana Jones and the Great Circle sees success commensurate to the critical and player reception it’s seen thus far, future Indiana Jones games would be a distinct possibility.

“Right now, we’re focused on getting this one to the public and getting to the DLC and making this as successful as we can,” Lucasfilm Games vice president and general manager Douglas Reilly said. “I think we’re always looking for great stories. And the good news is, there’s a lot of space in between the films where we could tell more and more Indiana Jones stories that I think would be super interesting.”

What do you think of the explanation behind Microsoft on the decision to delay for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on the PS5? Is it fair that Xbox gets games from Bethesda such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in time-gated exclusive fashion for the first six months or should they release it and future games on multiple platforms all on the same day?