The penultimate revelation of Gamescom was the release window for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for PS5. It underscores Xbox’s move to bring its first-party titles to other platforms. While everyone knows that Machine Games’ next title is an Xbox game, a recently uploaded trailer on PlayStation’s official YouTube channel is conspicuously absent of any branding from Microsoft’s gaming brand.
Why is the absence of Xbox Games Studio in the Indiana Jones trailer for PlayStation strange?
As seen in the trailer below, there is absolutely no mention of Xbox or Microsoft in the trailer for PlayStation’s Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. It begins with the iconic PlayStation logo and ends with the “Play Has No Limits” banner. The title card at the end only mentions PS5 and its spring 2025 release window. While Xbox and Microsoft are absent, the Bethesda, Lucasfilm, and Machine Games brands are present.
Normally, this wouldn’t be too unusual. After all, PlayStation and Xbox are competitors to some degree. In that regard, it makes perfect sense why the Microsoft and Xbox brands are completely absent. What makes this particular scenario odd, however, is when the tables are turned.
MLB The Show is a baseball game developed by San Diego Studios, a first-party development studio for Sony Interactive Entertainment. The professional baseball game was exclusive to PlayStation until the release of MLB The Show 21, after which it became cross-platform. In Xbox trailers for MLB The Show, like the one shown below, PlayStation Studios branding can be seen right at the beginning. Although no PS5 or PS4 branding is visible, the PlayStation Studios logo is present on the “Available Now” screen.
It’s unclear why Xbox and Microsoft’s brands are missing from PlayStation’s Indiana Jones trailer. It’s just a bit odd considering Xbox seems unfazed by including competitors’ brands in its marketing materials.
Developed by Machine Games and published by Bethesda, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle stars Troy Baker as the title character. The game is available to wishlist now on PS5.
