- By Tom Gerken
- Technology reporter
image source, Xbox Game Studios
Four games previously exclusive to Microsoft will soon be available on competing consoles.
Hi-Fi Rush and the pirate game Sea of Thieves are coming exclusively to Sony’s PS5.
Meanwhile, narrative adventure game Pentiment and co-op game Grounded will be available on PS5 and Nintendo Switch.
Until now, it was not known what those titles were.
Two of the games were revealed at Nintendo Direct, an online showcase for the firm, on Wednesday, before Microsoft confirmed the full lineup in a blog post.
“These existing multiplayer games will bring more people together and continue to grow their player communities,” said Matt Booty, head of Xbox game studios.
Several upcoming titles for the Nintendo Switch were also announced during Nintendo’s event, including a new Endless Ocean game, Monster Hunter Stories, and a remake of the 2010 Disney hit Epic Mickey.
Attendees were also surprised when the developers of 2017’s hit Sonic Mania unexpectedly announced their latest game.
Developed by Evening Star, Penny’s Big Breakaway is a platform game with a distinctive 1990s look.
“I think the 3D platformer genre is actually in a bit of a renaissance right now,” the developer’s director, Christian Whitehead, told the BBC.
“There’s a lot to choose from, even just on Steam and Nintendo Switch,” he added.
image source, Evening Star
Penny’s Big Breakaway has a look firmly rooted in the 90s
Evening Star was created by many people who worked as independent contractors on Sonic Mania.
That game was a hit in 2017, earning an average score of 86 on Metacritic, along with a nomination at that year’s Game Awards.
A sequel to this game was highly anticipated by fans, but never materialized and Sega instead released Sonic Superstars in 2023, designed by the original designer of Sonic.
Sonic and Mario—the mascots of Sega and Nintendo—were considered rivals in the 1990s, but in the 2000s, Sega began releasing Sonic on rival consoles after it stopped making its own consoles.
Currently, Sonic games appear on Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft hardware.
Scottish Twitch streamer Argick, who has nearly 20,000 followers, said he planned to spend the evening playing Penny’s Big Breakaway on stream.
“Sonic Mania was a phenomenal critical success, fans and critics loved it,” he said.
“Just looking at the footage for Penny’s Big Breakaway, it looks really smooth, fluid, fast and fun – so simple to pick up and play.
“But it’s also very silly and doesn’t take itself too seriously.”
Elsewhere on Wednesday, gamers less interested in Nintendo updates released a trailer for Game of the Year 2022 winner Elden Ring’s upcoming expansion.
Shadow of the Erdtree is scheduled for release in June for PC, Xbox and PlayStation in the UK.