Developer DICE and publisher EA have announced that Xbox is the official console of Battlefield 2042, although both have stressed that absolutely does not mean the upcoming shooter is exclusive to Microsoft platforms.
According to a recent press release, the Xbox Series X and its little brother, the Series S, are to be the "official consoles of Battlefield 2042." DICE, EA, and Microsoft say this has been done to "ensure that the next entry in the Battlefield franchise is the best one yet," whatever that means.
Take a look at Battlefield 2042 in action below:
Nobody has actually explained yet how DICE and EA will take advantage of the new Xbox hardware, but we'd imagine this will be an Activision/Sony kind of deal in which Xbox users get first access to certain content. No doubt you'll be aware that anyone who plays Call Of Duty on PlayStation typically gets exclusive modes and first dibs on various cosmetics and rewards, so it's not like Xbox would be doing anything unprecedented if it followed the same path with Battlefield 2042.
Curiously, this announcement also comes a few months on from the rumours that Battlefield 2042 will be a day one title for Xbox Game Pass. Speaking on an episode of The XboxEra Podcast, Shpeshal Ed acknowledged that, "there is a third party, Triple-A, first-person shooter that is very highly likely to be launching in Game Pass this fall."
Ed's co-host Jon Clarke added that there are only two franchises that come to mind at the mention of a "triple-A, third party, first-person shooter,": Call Of Duty and Battlefield. Call Of Duty 2021 - which is rumoured to be another WWII shooter from Sledgehammer Games - won't be launching on Microsoft's subscription service when it releases later this year due to the aforementioned exclusivity deal with PlayStation.
"My other bet would be Battlefield 6 because the EA Play relationship already exists," Clarke said. "And I'm sure Microsoft are sharing lots and lots of lovely numbers on what it does for a player base when you've got 20 million people immediately available to play your game."
I must stress that this is a wildly unverified rumour with a pinch of speculation thrown in, but one of the biggest third-party games of the year launching on the acclaimed Xbox service would be a huge win for Microsoft - and make for one hell of an exclusive partnership. Watch this space.
Featured Image Credit: EA