Xbox Executive Faces Questions on Fable’s PS5 Launch, While Forza Horizon 6 Remains Exclusive

Earlier this week, Xbox revealed the release dates for its two most anticipated titles of 2026: Forza Horizon 6 is set to hit the streets on May 15, while the much-anticipated Fable reboot will launch in the fall. Interestingly, while Fable will debut simultaneously on both Xbox and PS5, Forza Horizon 6 will only be available on Xbox at launch, with the PS5 version arriving later. When questioned about this decision, an Xbox executive provided a rather perplexing explanation.

In a recent chat, Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan shared that Xbox has a straightforward approach to expanding their games and franchises, such as Halo and Gears of War, across more platforms. “We want our games to reach the most players possible,” Duncan stated. “It’s rarely more complicated than that. It’s about how we can get this game into the hands of as many players as we can.”

While this sentiment isn’t new, it raises questions. When asked why Fable is launching on both Xbox and PS5 simultaneously, but Forza Horizon 6 isn’t, Duncan acknowledged that “sometimes we are inconsistent.”

“You’ll see some games on one platform, and others on multiple,” he explained. “Just know that we’re working on that and aiming for more consistency in our approach.”

Duncan clarified that Xbox isn’t ready to commit to every future title launching on PS5 on day one, as they want to “maintain optionality.”

“If we can only release a game on a platform without it performing well, we wouldn’t go ahead with that. We’d have internal discussions and decide, ‘Unless we can do it right for those players, maybe we should consider a later release.’ Ultimately, it comes down to resources. Not everything is limitless, so we want to do the best job for each platform and each game.”

He noted that sometimes games require additional time to optimize for different platforms, which makes sense. However, it’s quite convenient that Forza Horizon 6, a highly anticipated sequel to one of Xbox’s flagship franchises, won’t be available on PS5 at launch. Meanwhile, Fable, a long-awaited reboot of a franchise that has been dormant for over a decade, will be available on both consoles. One could speculate that Xbox aims to keep Forza as an exclusive on its platforms, like Xbox Cloud and Game Pass, for a longer period to encourage players to engage there. Regardless, it’s evident that Xbox’s multiplatform strategy is somewhat inconsistent and may remain that way for the foreseeable future.