Don't panic, but Halo is the latest Xbox exclusive series that may have hinted at a multiplatform future

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s a bit of chatter going on at the moment about Xbox and exclusivity, with a recent job listing at 343 Industries that might - depending on how you interpret it - suggest that the next Halo game could be available across multiple platforms being the latest thing to get people talking.

If you’re out of the loop, following recent reports that the green company is considering bringing the likes of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Starfield to PS5 down the line, Phil Spencer has already pencilled in a “business update event” (I don’t know about you, but that’s a phrase that has me on the edge of my seat) to address Xbox’s plans. This whole thing has meant folks are kind of on edge about Xbox games looking like they might be slated to go multiplatform in the future, hence why we’re about to talk about a vacancy you almost definitely aren’t qualified to apply for.

The job listing in question (thanks, GamesRadar) was posted on January 24 and is for a lead game systems designer gig at 343 Industries. The studio’s looking for someone who can “define, prototype, validate, iterate, and evolve future Halo game systems”, as well as help refine “Halo’s metagame, progression, economy, customization, rewards, and engagement systems”. So far, so stuff you can vaguely nod about in an interview.

The thing that might potentially make the listing noteworthy is a mention of wanting the candidate to be able to “[focus] the systems design team on achieving a high-quality, cohesive experience for all players, on all platforms”. Before you start praying to Master Chief, it’s most likely that all this refers to is basically all of the platforms Halo stuff is currently released on - i.e Xbox’s array of consoles and PC.

That said, it’s the kind of wording that’ll be prone to inducing freakouts among Xbox fans as they grasp for information on the company’s plans between now and next week. So, if that’s you, maybe just be careful about potentially reading too much into stuff like this and getting too up a height before anything’s confirmed, even if they might be formatted in ways that could easily lend themselves to meaning something in relation to Xbox’s strategy.

For more on Xbox and exclusivity, make sure to check out our feature discussing some concerns these latest developments have spawned that it might actually be worth you dedicating some of your brain power to.