According to reliable insider Nate the Hate, Microsoft is going full-steam ahead on its multiplatform plans and intends on being a “big supporter” of the Switch 2, or whatever Nintendo decides to call their new machine.
Speaking on the latest episode of his podcast, both The Master Chief Collection and Microsoft Flight Simulator will launch on PS5 and Switch 2 this year.
“So, games I have heard will be released multplatform in 2025, beyond the obvious, include Microsoft Flight Simulator will come to PlayStation 5 and Switch 2, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be coming to PS5 and Switch 2 as well.”
Nate did also comment that if the long-rumoured Gears of War collection was to release in 2025 he would expect that to come to PS5 as well. However, he did not say this as having any insider information, but more as a simple prediction based on everything else happening.
Nate went on to say that Microsoft “…is going to be a very big supporter of the Switch 2 when it does come out. They will be porting and patching the current Switch lineup, so games like Grounded and Pentiment. The Ori games will eventually find their way to Switch 2, will be patched with 4K support, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you see Sea of Thieves. Maybe Hi-Fi rush will find its way over. Just expect a lot of Microsoft games on Switch 2 and PS5 going forward.”
These would be the latest in a slow trickle of titles that began last year when Microsoft decided to put Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, Pentiment and Sea of Thieves on competitor’s platforms. Of these, Sea of Thieves wound up being the biggest success, doing very for itself on PlayStation.
Since then, more Microsoft published games have been announced for other platforms. Indiana Jones & The Great Circle will hit PS5 this year, and Doom: The Dark Ages, due 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 come to Sony’s machine.
Seeing the Halo franchise on PlayStation or Switch would be a massive moment. After all, while Halo’s reputation may not be what it once was, the name is still iconic within videogames and the franchise is inexorably linked to Xbox and vice versa. I cannot help but think the day Halo comes to another console will be the day when we finally accept that Xbox as we know it is gone.
Nate the Hate’s claims have seemingly been backed up by Windows Central’s Jez Corden, another big-name leaker with a good reputation for getting solid information. Jez’s own stance on Xbox exclusives has changed considerably over the past year, as he initially reported that Microsoft was planning on launching a few games on other platforms.
way more than that
— Jez (@JezCorden) January 10, 2025
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Since his initial reports though, Jez has began reporting that more and more games are being considered, indicating that plans have been changing quickly at Microsoft, perhaps buoyed by their successes and driven to radical action by declining hardware sales.
Relying to an outlet reporting on Nate the Hate’s words, Jez replied by simply saying “way more than that” is going to arrive on PlayStation and Switch.
Jez has expanded on his own words in an article on Windows Central where he states that he can corroborate Nate’s claims with his own sources. But he then goes on to say that:”…I’ve heard that in addition to the above Hellblade 2, Age of Mythology, and potentially Gears of War 1 Ultimate Edition are all also slated for PlayStation 5 this year too, although I’m unsure if that includes the Nintendo Switch 2. I would expect that it most likely does, if I had to guess that part.”
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, ut also keeps hinting and making decisions that point toward it becoming the world’s biggest third-party publisher rather than a company focused on producing its own hardware and exclusive software for it.
While it would still be a momentous occasion to see Master Chief on PlayStation, would it really be a surprise?