Indiana Jones Game Wasn't Originally Meant to be Xbox Exclusive, Says Bethesda
The upcoming Indiana Jones game from MachineGames and Bethesda was not meant to be an Xbox exclusive. Indiana Jones is one of the biggest franchises out there having made its debut in the 80s with Harrison Ford starring as the charming adventurer. The series has had long legs thanks to its pulpy nature, allowing Ford to play it for decades with his final outing as the character coming next week. However, Indiana Jones will continue. A brand new video game centered around the character partaking in a new and original story is on the way. The game was announced in 2021 by Bethesda with the expectation that it would probably be exclusive to Xbox due to the fact Microsoft owns the publisher, but there have been rumors that might not be the case.
Given Indiana Jones is owned by Disney, some speculated that it would've only made the deal to make an Indiana Jones game if it would be on all relevant platforms so it could maximize reach and revenue. However, it seems that won't be the case. Bethesda's Pete Hines spoke during the FTC's court battle with Microsoft over the imminent Activision acquisition. Hines was asked about the Indiana Jones game and he noted that it wasn't always an Xbox exclusive. Before Bethesda was acquired, the deal with Disney noted it would be on all platforms, but that deal has been amended to make it only for Xbox and PC. With that said, it seems like PlayStation players could've had the Indiana Jones game, but that won't be happening any more.
FTC lawyer questioning Bethesda's Pete Hines confirms that Disney had a deal for an Indiana Jones game that'd be for multiple consoles. Hines confirms. FTC says deal was amended post-acquisition to be Xbox only for consoles.
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) June 22, 2023
This isn't the first we've heard of Xbox doing such a thing. While Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online are still supported on all platforms, Starfield and Redfall were expected to come to PlayStation as well, but Xbox had those versions scrapped after the acquisition. As of right now, we have no idea when to expect the Indiana Jones game, but hopefully, it's not too far out.
What do you think of the Indiana Jones game being scrapped for PlayStation? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
