‘Halo,’ ‘Gears Of War’ May Be Coming To PlayStation, Say Reports

When Microsoft said that nothing is fully off the table in terms of a multiplatform release, eventually it seemed like the question would be raised about its most iconic franchises. Now, we may soon have an answer.

A new report from the NatetheHate podcast, in addition to Windows Central, says that Microsoft may soon release Halo: The Master Chief collection on PlayStation. That’s the remastered version of the old games, not its newest iteration, Halo Infinite (though clearly that may also not be off the table). The rumor also includes Microsoft Flight Simulator as heading over there as well, one of Xbox’s highest-rated franchises, plus Hellblade 2, Age of Mythology, and Gears of War 1 Ultimate Edition.

Master Chief (and maybe Marcus Fenix) on PlayStation may be as unthinkable as Kratos on Xbox, but these days it’s essentially fully in line with Xbox’s stated philosophy of its future, less reliance on its own consoles and storefronts and more about letting more people play Xbox games on all other platforms, even its only real rival.

In the case of Halo: The Master Chief collection, the main driver here is probably extending the playerbase so the game can stay healthy. This is why I also believe it’s possible, if not likely, that Halo Infinite may eventually come to PlayStation for the exact same reason. More players, a more robust multiplayer experience.

On the player side, I mean, who cares? There’s little reason to believe that less exclusivity in the industry is a bad thing. However, if we do in fact enter an era where Xbox is more or less a third party publisher with a subscription service and PlayStation is the only “core” console that matters, that could lead to some level of complacency.

On the Xbox side I mean, things are just wild over there at this point. There’s a huge reliance on cloud gaming for marketing its brand, which is still a nascent, tiny part of the overall games market. Game Pass subscriptions are hitting a ceiling with little room for substantive growth. PS5 is now outselling Xbox consoles 5:1 in recent months by some estimations. It’s been a whirlwind transformation for the brand, and some loyalists feel burned by their support of Xbox for two decades, where now being an Xbox fan feels somewhat pointless.

We don’t know if The Master Chief Collection or these other games will arrive on PlayStation anytime soon, and this is not actually confirmed at this point. But the writing is on the wall for Microsoft, and it’s just a matter of when, not if, a large portion of its first party games, new and old, head to PlayStation. Even its most iconic figures.

Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.

Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.