hi-fi rush
There were rumors that this was probably going to happen, but Microsoft never actually announced that Hi-Fi Rush would be moving beyond Xbox and Game Pass to rival systems like the PS5 and Nintendo Switch.
Well, now a new, confirmed datamine says this is all definitely happening. There are three different upcoming shirts whose texture files have been found. One is blue and says, “I’m here baby!” The second is red and says, “Make a splash anywhere!” There is also a green color for the OG Xbox. I’m not sure what the blue PS reference is, or if it is one, but “Rock Out Anywhere” is clearly tied to the portability of the Switch.
Again, it hasn’t been announced, but these files are real and I mean, come on. Don’t pretend anymore that it’s not happening.
As such, it is expected that this will reignite the larger debate about whether Xbox should bring its exclusives to other platforms or not. Hi-Fi Rush was Xbox’s most awarded/nominated game of 2023, a hugely successful Shadow Drop that indicated Microsoft had some surprise hits. But the question now is whether it will “devalue” the game by bringing it to another platform. This falls in line with Microsoft’s idea of ”play Xbox games anywhere”, but it’s hard to see it ever being the opposite. Games like Horizon Zero Dawn or Mario Kart 8 may be “old enough,” but PlayStation or Nintendo will never give them up to their competitors.
A related rumor makes a little more sense, that Microsoft may be planning to bring Sea of Thieves to PlayStation and/or Nintendo as well. While another niche game, this is at least one that relies on online multiplayer, so expanding the playerbase would be a good thing. and that game Is It’s very old, so I don’t consider it a philosophical issue. After all, Sony-owned Bungie has Destiny 2 on all platforms (well, not Switch), and will be releasing new MP game Marathon on multiple platforms as well.
The question is where do you draw the line. One thought experiment, if not possible rumor, was that something like Halo Infinite’s free-to-play multiplayer could expand to PlayStation. Again, you can use Sea of Thieves’ “the game is old, the game is multiplayer” idea to justify this, but can you? In fact Do you want Master Chief on PlayStation? In fact? I think this decision has to be taken by Microsoft.
The only thing that seems certain to be happening right now is hi-fi rush expansion. I hope this will be announced soon and the debate that took place a few weeks ago will undoubtedly reignite.
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