Xbox Game Studios and Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 5 has just been confirmed to release on the PS5. While there’s no set date yet when Microsoft’s flagship racing game will come out on the PS5, this marks a significant turning point in the company’s strategy.
Forza Horizon 5, developed by Panic Button for the PS5, will also support cross-play across all platforms. Alongside its release, there is a special new content update called Horizon Realms — where players can explore a curated collection of the Forza Horizon 5‘s community favorites previously released in Evolving Worlds.
Microsoft Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer, always reiterated how the exclusive business model hurts the gaming industry, and that it’s best to give players the freedom to play anywhere, on any platform.
However, the Forza franchise is Microsoft’s answer to Sony’s Gran Turismo. With Forza Horizon 5‘s PS5 release announcement, this begs the question: is there even a point in owning an Xbox console now? If major first-party console franchises like Forza compete with games like Gran Turismo from Sony released on the competing platform, what’s there to make Xbox unique?
With one of Microsoft’s flagship franchises now set to release on PS5, there’s a more likely chance that Halo and Gear of War will come to PlayStation at any time.
Forza Horizon 5 is now available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, with the PS5 version releasing in the near future.
