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Mark Your Calendars!
One of gaming’s worst-kept secrets is officially revealed. Hi-Fi Rush, a former Xbox exclusive, is coming to the PS5 on March 19. Many people expected the announcement to happen during Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct, which focused on third-party titles, but Bethesda confirmed it a few hours later.
It became clear throughout the Direct that Pentiment and Grounded were Switch-bound. Both titles will be released on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on February 22 and April 16, respectively. Grounded will allow cross-play on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Meanwhile, Microsoft said that Sea of Thieves will be the fourth game to cross platforms, arriving on PS5 on April 30. It will allow for cross-play between PS5, Xbox, and PC.
Hi-Fi Rush on PS5
Hi-Fi Rush premiered in early 2023, when Microsoft announced and published the game on Xbox and PC simultaneously. The rhythm-based beat-’em-up soon gained a following, thanks in large part to its stunning visuals and soundtrack; the fact that it was available for free on Game Pass also helped.
The PlayStation 5 version will include all HI-FI content, including the two new modes from the Arcade Challenge update. A digital deluxe edition will give you more cosmetics and more Gears to spend on improvements.
Microsoft is attempting to boost the bottom line of its gaming sector. In recent months, the corporation has conducted significant layoffs and incorporated Activision Blizzard revenue to assist it do so.
What’s in & what’s OUT!
Perhaps consistent with such strategy, Xbox executives recently confirmed speculations that they would distribute more first-party titles on “the other consoles.” They said earlier this month that four games would cross the great divide but declined to reveal their titles, except to affirm that Starfield, Indiana Jones, and the Great Circle would not be among them.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer stated that all four games have been available on Xbox and PC for at least a year and have reached their “full potential” on these platforms. Two (Grounded and Sea of Thieves) are community-driven/multiplayer games. All of the rest are “smaller games that were never really meant to be built as kind of platform exclusives.” Hi-Fi Rush falls into the latter group because it was in development long before Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media, which owns both Tango Gameworks and Bethesda Softworks.
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