PlayStation responds on why it's bringing LEGO Horizon Adventures to Nintendo Switch but not Xbox

What you need to know

• LEGO Horizon Adventures is an upcoming LEGO version of PlayStation and Guerrilla Games' Horizon franchise.
• Co-developed by Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo, LEGO Horizon Adventures features classic LEGO humor and shenanigans, with brick-based recreations of machines like the Tallneck and Thunderjaw.
• LEGO Horizon Adventures is launching later in 2024 on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Nintendo Switch, but not Xbox consoles or PlayStation.
• Speaking with Stephen Totilo for Game File, the developers stated that they "don't really have anything to announce about Xbox right now."

We have some non-answers regarding chosen platforms for one of PlayStation's upcoming games.

LEGO Horizon Adventures , a LEGO-fied version of PlayStation' Horizon games that's being co-developed by Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo, is currently in development for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Nintendo Switch, the latter of which is remarkably unusual for non-MLB PlayStation Studios games. Despite being far more multiplatform than normal, the game has not been announced for Xbox consoles.

Speaking with Stephen Totilo for his one-man newsletter Game File (where he also talks about the making of upcoming PlayStation 5 title Astro Bot), Guerrilla Games narrative director James Windeler noted that the game was meant to push PlayStation 5 hardware and "look as amazing as it can possibly be" on the system.

When asked by Totilo about why it was coming to Nintendo Switch, Windeler explained that the decision helped the team to go after a "family-friendly audience and a younger audience" than would otherwise have been possible. Upon being asked about Xbox however, Windeler simply said that "You know, we don't really have anything to announce about Xbox right now."

LEGO Horizon Adventures is slated to launch later in 2024

Like other LEGO games, LEGO Horizon Adventures features co-op, with full cross-platform play on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Nintendo Switch. Players can collect LEGO versions of characters like Aloy and Varl, taking on machines such as the Thunderjaw.

There's no release date right now, but when the game was unveiled earlier in the year as part of Summer Game Fest 2024 , it was announced to be coming later in the year.

Analysis: Not too surprising, but curious all the same

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While the way the non-answer is given is amusing, it seems perfectly obvious what's really going on. For PlayStation, this kind of game only really makes sense if it has a wide audience, something that can't quite be guaranteed from even PlayStation 5 and PC players, but the company also can't bring it to PlayStation 4 because it needs to push its own newer hardware. As a result, the best option to be found is through also bringing it to Nintendo Switch.

As for Xbox, while it definitely won't be included at launch, I don't think an eventual port is completely impossible. PlayStation does already bring MLB games to Xbox, so porting games like LEGO Horizon Adventures after the initial wave of players have already been garnered elsewhere makes a degree of sense.

No matter what else happens, the list of PlayStation Studios games on Windows PC is growing faster than ever, and it's abundantly clear PlayStation (like Xbox) is no longer completely constraining itself to one piece of console hardware.

As an aside, kudos to Totilo for the work he's putting into Game File. In his most recent newsletter, he also talks with Team Asobi about the upcoming awesome-looking Astro Bot, and I encourage reading it.