"Xbox's Phil Spencer to Continue Featuring PlayStation, Nintendo Logos in Microsoft Events"

Microsoft has recently shifted its approach to showcasing its games, now including logos for rival platforms like PlayStation 5 during Xbox events. This change was evident in the January 2025 Xbox Developer Direct, where games like Ninja Gaiden 4, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 were shown with PS5 logos alongside Xbox Series X and S, PC, and Game Pass. This marks a departure from the June 2024 showcase, where Doom: The Dark Ages was announced for PS5 post-event, and other titles like Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred, and Assassin's Creed Shadows were listed for Xbox and PC without mention of PS5.

PS5 logos were absent during Microsoft's June 2024 showcase. Image credit: Microsoft.

In contrast, Sony and Nintendo maintain a more traditional approach. Sony's recent State of Play event focused solely on PlayStation, omitting any mention of Xbox for multiplatform titles like Monster Hunter Wilds, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword, despite their availability on other platforms.

PS5 logos were included in Microsoft's January 2025 showcase. Image credit: Microsoft.

Phil Spencer, Microsoft's gaming chief, addressed this new strategy in an interview with XboxEra. He emphasized transparency and the importance of showcasing where games are available, stating:

I think it’s just being honest and transparent about where the games are showing, and we actually even had this discussion last year for the June showcase, and by the time we kind of made our decision, we couldn’t get all of the assets done and it felt weird to have some of them in and some of them out.

But I just want to be transparent with people — for shipping on Nintendo Switch, we’re gonna put that. For shipping on PlayStation, on Steam... People should know the storefronts where they can get our games, but I want people to be able to experience our Xbox community in our games and everything we have to offer, on every screen we can.

And obviously not every screen is equal. Yeah, like there’s certain things we can’t do on the other closed platforms that we can do on open platforms, cloud — it’s different. But games should be the thing that we’re focused on. And the strategy that we have allows us to do big games, while also supporting our native platform from hardware to the platform and services that we have and that’s going to be our approach.

And I know it’s not what everybody else is doing, but I just believe games should be the thing that’s at the forefront. Maybe it’s because of how I’ve grown up in this industry. I came from building games. But I think the games are the things that I see growing in their strength in what we’re doing and it’s because more people can play. So yeah, I’m just trying to be open and transparent with people.

This shift in strategy suggests that future Xbox showcases, such as the anticipated June 2025 event, may feature PS5 logos for titles like Gears of War: E-Day, Fable, Perfect Dark, State of Decay 3, and the upcoming Call of Duty. However, don't expect Sony and Nintendo to adopt a similar approach anytime soon.