As the publisher releases its flahship franchise Halo to PlayStation with Halo: Campaign Evolved, Microsoft has stressed Xbox’s biggest competiton isn’t PlayStation or Nintendo, but “everything from TikTok to movies”.
Microsoft believes Xbox’s biggest competiton isn’t PlayStation or Nintendo, but “everything from TikTok to movies”.
The studio made seismic wakes online after announcing Halo: Campaign Evolved – a remake of the 2001 classic Halo: Combat Evolved – would be releasing on PlayStation 5 as well as Xbox Series X|S in 2026.
As Microsoft launches yet another former Xbox exclusive on rival platforms, company executives have emphasised their real competiton is not with Sony or Nintendo at all.
Speaking with The New York Times, Matt Booty, president of Xbox Game Content and Studios, said: “We are all seeking to meet people where they are.
“Our biggest competition isn’t another console – we are competing more and more with everything from TikTok to movies.”
Halo: Campaign Evolved has been built in Unreal Engine 5 with modernised combat and full four-player online co-op.
For the first time in the franchise’s 23-year history, the sci-fi series that helped define Xbox will appear on PlayStation.
Microsoft’s strategy marks a sharp departure from the traditional console wars and platform exclusives, following similar cross-platform releases like Forza Horizon 5 and Gears of War: Reloaded.
Between April and July, six of the top 10 best-selling games on PlayStation were Microsoft titles.
Halo: Campaign Evolved represents what Booty calls “a new era for Halo,” with Pierre Hintze, head of Halo Studios, confirming that the remake’s Unreal Engine 5 overhaul will let the team “express the original artistic vision and goals” with modern fidelity.
COO Elizabeth Van Wyck added: “We talk about this as another era for Halo – one that’s about reaching as many players as possible.”
Xbox says its ‘biggest competition is everything from TikTok to movies’ as Halo lands on PlayStation
