Xbox and Bethesda bringing huge exclusive to PlayStation 5

A new Xbox title that was revealed last night at the Xbox Games Showcase will also be coming to PlayStation 5 at launch, it has been confirmed.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is a prequel seemingly set during medieval times (but obviously with demons), with the trailer showing off new weaponry such as a gun that grinds up skulls to fire bones at your enemies, and a shield that can parry enemy attacks to open them up to retaliation. That same shield is also a blade that revs up like a chainsaw and can be thrown at enemies in the distance. Oh, and the Doomslayer has a mech he can use to beat up demons now, and also he has his own dragon. Did we mention that he has his own dragon?

Take a look at DOOM: The Dark Ages in action below.

While it wasn't confirmed during the showcase itself, a separate trailer that was released at the time showed off the fact that the game is coming to PlayStation 5. This marks a watershed moment for Microsoft: this will be the first Bethesda game since their purchase of Bethesda was completed to come to a PlayStation platform that wasn't previously confirmed for that console that isn't a remaster. What'll be really interesting is seeing how Microsoft approaches Bethesda exclusives going forward, whether we'll see titles such as MachineGames upcoming Indiana Jones title on other platforms, or whether this method only applies to IPs that have already been on other systems (both the previous titles in the new DOOM trilogy came to other platforms, though they also released before the acquisition of Bethesda was completed).

DOOM: The Dark Ages is currently scheduled for launch in 2025, and will be released on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, along with being available on day one on Xbox Game Pass for subscribers.