When it was announced during the Xbox business update podcast that four exclusives would be making their way to other platforms, the question on everyone’s mind was, “What were the four games?” Now, during today’s Nintendo Direct, we finally have our first two Xbox Exclusives to come to the Nintendo Switch: Pentiment and Grounded.
Leading the Nintendo Direct, Grounded, the survival game that shrinks players down to the size of ants and tasks them with surviving in a suburban backyard, arrives on Switch on April 16th. CGM rated Grounded an 8/10, with critic Philip Watson summarizing his review by saying that it “is a solid title with massive scope and a grand adventure for anyone seeking it.”
Pentiment, the second title from Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment, the medieval adventure role-playing with a unique art style, will be hitting the Switch tomorrow, February 22nd. The game received glowing reviews at launch, including a 9.5/10 from CGM, with critic Hayes Madsen describing the game as “a vibrant adventure that fully embraces its time period, art style, and sense of mystery.”
If that were not enough, today, Microsoft also announced that Hi-Fi Rush would make its way over to the PS5 this March. These three releases are part of Microsoft’s new strategy to bring Xbox games to rival platforms like Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. Just last week, Xbox head Phil Spencer had hinted at this direction, but few expected former exclusives to make the leap so soon, although it seems Microsoft is wasting no time in testing the waters.
It’s a major shift that would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago, but it seems things have changed, and this is only the start. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has seemingly changed what to expect from exclusives, and if they will even be a major concept moving forward. Spencer is now looking to grow Xbox’s audience far beyond its own platforms.
Still, seeing games developed specifically for Xbox running natively on Switch hardware is surprising. These conversions would have required significant resources and effort on Microsoft’s part. It’s a clear signal of their commitment to this new multi-platform approach.
The big question now is, what Xbox games will come to Nintendo Switch or other platforms next? Franchises like Halo, Forza, and Fable seem like unlikely candidates, but Microsoft is clearly ready to make bold moves in this new era. One thing is clear: things are about to get much more interesting for gamers.
