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

Microsoft's multiplatform strategy is clearly paying dividends, as evidenced by its successful launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. This was confirmed by Sony's PlayStation blog post, which highlighted the top-selling PlayStation Store games for April 2025.

In the U.S. and Canada, the top three spots on the PS5's non-free-to-play download chart were dominated by Microsoft titles: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Minecraft, and Forza Horizon 5. Europe saw a similar trend, with Forza Horizon 5 leading the pack, 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 strong showings in the charts.

What does this indicate? High-quality games, regardless of their origin, are dominating sales charts. This trend is unsurprising, especially given the strong performance of these titles on PlayStation. The PS5 community eagerly awaited Forza Horizon 5, making its April launch a highly anticipated event. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered caters to fans of Bethesda's iconic series across both PC and console, while Minecraft continues to thrive, boosted by the viral success of its movie.

This multiplatform approach is becoming the new standard for Microsoft, as demonstrated by their recent announcement of *Gears of War: Reloaded* for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, set to release in August. It seems increasingly likely that *Halo*, once an Xbox exclusive, will follow suit.

Last year, Microsoft's gaming chief, Phil Spencer, stated that there are no "red lines" in their first-party lineup when considering multiplatform releases, including Halo. In an interview with Bloomberg, Spencer emphasized that every Xbox game is a candidate for multiplatform distribution. "I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say 'thou must not,'" he remarked.

Spencer has articulated that Xbox's multiplatform strategy is partly driven by the need to increase revenue for Microsoft's gaming division, particularly after the monumental $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. "We run a business," Spencer noted in August. "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."

### Xbox Games Series Tier List

Xbox Games Series Tier List

Former Xbox executive Peter Moore told IGN that the possibility of bringing Halo to PlayStation has likely been a topic of discussion within Microsoft for some time. "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 explained.

"I mean, you just got to go, yeah, should it be kept? It's a piece of intellectual property. It's bigger than just a game. And how do you leverage that? Those are the conversations that always happen with, how do you leverage it in everything that we would do?"

"It's had its ups and downs, but look, Xbox wouldn't be what Xbox is without Halo. But yeah, I'm sure those conversations are happening. Whether they come to fruition, who knows? But they're definitely happening, I'm sure."

Microsoft faces potential backlash from hardcore Xbox fans who feel the brand is being devalued due to a lack of exclusives and the company's marketing strategy. The prospect of Halo going multiplatform could further ignite this sentiment, but Moore believes this won't deter Microsoft from making strategic business decisions.

"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?" Moore pondered. "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."