According to trusted insider Nate the Hate, Microsoft is pushing its multi-platform plans in earnest and plans to be a “big supporter” of the Switch 2, or whatever Nintendo decides to call its new device.
As for the latest episode of his podcast, The Master Chief Collection and Microsoft Flight Simulator are both scheduled for release on PS5 and Switch 2 this year.
“So the games I hear are scheduled for a multi-platform release in 2025. Microsoft Flight Simulator is coming to PlayStation 5 and Switch 2, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection is also coming to PS5 and Switch 2.”
Nate also said that if the long-rumored Gears of War collection releases in 2025, he expects it to come to PS5 as well. But he said this wasn’t to say he had inside information, it was just a prediction based on everything else going on.
Nate continued: Microsoft will be a very big supporter of the Switch 2 when it launches. The same goes for games like Grounded and Pentiment, as the current Switch lineup will be ported and patched. The Ori game will eventually be released on Switch 2 and will be patched with 4K support, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sea of Thieves. Maybe the Hi-Fi rush is over. “We expect to see a lot of Microsoft games on Switch 2 and PS5 in the future.”
This is the latest in a slow line of titles that started last year when Microsoft decided to release Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, Pentiment and Sea of Thieves on rival platforms. Of these, Sea of Thieves has been a huge success in its own right on PlayStation.
Since then, more Microsoft-published games have been announced for other platforms. Indiana Jones & The Great Circle is scheduled to release on PS5 this year, and Doom: The Dark Ages, which is scheduled to be shown off at this month’s Developer Direct, is scheduled to release on PlayStation on day one. The Outer Worlds 2 will also be released on Sony devices.
It’s going to be a huge moment to see the Halo franchise on PlayStation or Switch. After all, Halo’s reputation may not be what it once was, but its name is still iconic within video games and the franchise is inextricably linked to the Xbox and vice versa. I can’t help but think that the day Halo comes out on other consoles will be the day we know Xbox is gone and just accept it for what it is.
Nate the Hate’s claims seem to be backed up by Windows Central’s Jez Corden, another high-profile leaker with a reputation for getting solid information. Jez’s stance on Xbox exclusives has changed significantly in the last year. He initially reported that Microsoft was planning to release a few games on other platforms.
much more than that
— Jez (@JezCorden) January 10, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Jez began reporting that more and more games were being considered after the initial report, indicating that Microsoft’s plans are changing quickly, perhaps due to the drastic action taken by the company’s success and declining hardware sales.
Relying on the outlet reporting Nate the Hate’s words, Jez simply responded that “and more” will be coming to PlayStation and Switch.
Jez expanded on his remarks in the Windows Central article, noting that his sources corroborate Nate’s claims. But he goes on to say:”… In addition to Hellblade 2 above, we’ve also heard that Age of Mythology and potentially Gears of War 1 Ultimate Edition are both scheduled for release on PlayStation 5 this year. We’re not sure if the Nintendo Switch 2 is included in that. If I had to guess that, I would probably guess yes.”
In some ways, Nate the Hate’s prediction feels like a very safe bet at this point. Microsoft continues to be vague and evasive about its plans, but it hints at its decision to become the world’s largest third-party publisher rather than a company focused on producing its own hardware and proprietary software.
Seeing Master Chief on PlayStation would still be a major opportunity, but would it really be that surprising?
