"Xbox Games Outsell PS5 Titles: Oblivion, Minecraft, Forza Lead"

Microsoft's multiplatform strategy is clearly yielding impressive results, with successful launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. This success is evident from Sony's PlayStation blog post, which disclosed the top-selling games on the PlayStation Store for April 2025.

In the U.S. and Canada, Microsoft titles dominated the PS5's non-free-to-play download chart, with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Minecraft, and Forza Horizon 5 securing the top three spots. The trend continued in Europe, where Forza Horizon 5 led the chart, followed by The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and Minecraft.

Microsoft's influence extends further with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which, backed by Microsoft for a day-one Game Pass launch and featured in Xbox showcase broadcasts, also performed strongly on both charts. Additionally, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 from Microsoft-owned Activision and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from Microsoft-owned Bethesda made significant appearances on the charts.

This data underscores that quality games, regardless of their origin, are successful across platforms. It's no surprise that these titles are performing well on PlayStation. The PS5 community eagerly anticipated Forza Horizon 5, Playground's acclaimed racer, which saw a highly anticipated April launch. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered caters to the Bethesda fanbase across both PC and console, while Minecraft continues to thrive, buoyed by the viral success and record-breaking performance of the Minecraft movie.

Microsoft's approach to multiplatform releases is becoming the new standard, as evidenced by the recent announcement of Gears of War: Reloaded for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, set for release in August. The iconic Halo franchise, once an Xbox exclusive, seems poised to follow suit.

Phil Spencer, Microsoft's gaming chief, has indicated that there are no "red lines" in their first-party lineup when considering multiplatform releases, including Halo. In a conversation with Bloomberg, Spencer emphasized that every Xbox game is a candidate for multiplatform distribution. He stated, "I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say 'thou must not,'" highlighting Microsoft's strategic focus on maximizing game performance and expanding their platform's reach across consoles, PCs, and cloud services.

Spencer has also noted that this multiplatform strategy is partly driven by financial pressures following Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. He stressed the importance of delivering results to justify the substantial support Microsoft receives from the company, stating, "We run a business... It's definitely true inside of Microsoft the bar is high for us in terms of the delivery we have to give back to the company."

Former Xbox executive Peter Moore, in a discussion with IGN, suggested that the potential of bringing Halo to PlayStation has been a topic of serious consideration at Microsoft. He highlighted the financial incentives, explaining, "Look, if Microsoft says, wait, we're doing $250 million on our own platforms, but if we then took Halo as, let's call it a third-party, we could do a billion... You got to think long and hard about that, right?"

Moore acknowledged the significance of Halo to the Xbox brand but emphasized that leveraging such a valuable piece of intellectual property across multiple platforms is a strategic necessity. He noted that while there might be a backlash from hardcore Xbox fans, the decision to go multiplatform is crucial for the future of Microsoft's gaming business and the industry at large. Moore concluded, "The question would be, ultimately, is that reaction enough not to make a fundamental business decision for the future of not only Microsoft’s business, but gaming in itself? Those hardcore are getting smaller in size and older in age. You've got to cater to the generations that are coming through, because they're going to drive the business over the next 10, 20 years."