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Xbox chief explains why Indiana Jones is coming to PS5: industry facing lots of pressure

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Emmerich Voss holds an artifact in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Bethesda

At Gamescom, Xbox Chief Executive Officer Phil Spencer explained why Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be coming to PlayStation 5 next spring despite being a first-party Xbox game. Spencer notes that it’s part of the reality of a changing industry and a need for growth within Microsoft.

Earlier this year, Xbox shocked players when it announced that four of its exclusive games would be going to PS5 and Nintendo Switch. At the time, Spencer explained on the Xbox Official Podcast that the move was part of a shifting strategy to bring its games to more players. Spencer specifically denied that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was one of the four games going multiplatform on the podcast. That was technically true, as it wasn’t part of the initial slate of multiplatform releases.

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Xbox chief Phil Spencer responds to a Q about how Indiana Jones on PS5 connects back to how / when this happens to other Xbox titles:

"We have to anticipate there’s going to be more change in some of the traditional ways that games are built and distributed. That’s going to… pic.twitter.com/Kd9xF9I8VM

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) August 21, 2024

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During an Xbox live stream at Gamescom, Spencer explained why Indiana Jones is now coming to PS5. After noting that the initial wave of multiplatform games, including Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush, was meant as a learning process, Spencer noted that the move is a business reality in terms of delivering results to Microsoft.

“We run a business,” Spencer explained. “It’s definitely true inside of Microsoft that the bar is high for us in terms of the delivery that we have to give back to the company, because we get a level of support from the company that’s amazing in terms of what we’re able to go do. I look at this as, how can we make our games as strong as possible? As platform continues to grow on console, PC, and on cloud? And I think it’s going to be a strategy that works for us.”

The comment alludes to a need for growth within the gaming industry, which has struggled with that in 2024. The year has been filled with layoffs across studios big and small. Xbox alone has laid off thousands of employees and shuttered studios, including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Spencer noted the challenges of growth and cited it as a reason for why sees a change coming to how games are distributed.

“There’s a lot of pressure on the industry,” Spencer said. “It’s been growing for a long time and now people are looking for ways to grow. Us as fans, as players of games, we just have to anticipate there’s going to be more change in … some of the traditional ways that games were built and distributed, that’s going to change. That’s going to change for all of us. But the end result has to be better games that more people can play. If we’re not focused on that, I think we’re focused on the wrong things.”

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will launch on PS5 next spring. It launches on Xbox Series X/S and PC on December 9.

Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni Colantonio
Former Senior Gaming Editor
As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: all Vatican Medicine Bottle locations
Indiana Jones standing in the jungle.

There are dozens of notes, items, weapons, and artifacts to pick up while touring the world in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Most of these collectibles are good for earning Adventure Points or solving some puzzles, but there's only one that you can trade for a permanent boost to Indy's stats. Specifically, the Medicine Bottles hidden in Vatican City can be traded in for Adventure Books that either raise your HP or stamina bar permanently. That makes these little hard-to-find vials even more valuable than the ancient treasures you will find. If you want to get as much HP or stamina as possible, then you will need to find every last one. Here's the location of all the Medicine Bottles.
All Medicine Bottle locations
There are 15 Medicine Bottles in Vatican City in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. They will only pop up once you begin the A Remedy for All side quest, but you will also need to do the A Nun in Trouble and The Mad Priest quests to access some of them. We have marked all the bottle locations on the map below, as well as more detailed instructions below if you are having trouble reaching any of them.

1.
Once you finish the A Nun in Trouble mystery you will get Guiliana's Key. Take it down the Borgia tower and find the gap you can swing over with your whip and unlock the door with your new key. The bottle is just ahead on a box in the corner.
2.
While you're doing The Mad Priest side quest you will be given the Sewer Key and sent down below the city through the Tower of Nicholas V. Once through the locked gate, climb up and swing across the upper area onto a ledge leading to stairs going up into the palace. The bottle is at the base of these stairs.
3.
Go behind the Post Office building and look for the bottle resting on a wooden bench.
4.
Starting from the Belvedere Courtyard, head down the street toward the Post Office, and take a right into the short alleyway. The bottle is on the table next to a set of closed doors at the end.
5.
At the entrance to Via Di Belvedere, go into the Blackshirt's tent. There is a Medicine Bottle among the belongings on the long table.
6.
Climb up the scaffolding of the church being constructed near the Borgia Courtyard. Use the chandelier to swing to a window and onto a balcony, then platform to the left onto a rooftop where a single guard is posted near the bottle.
7.
From the Borgia Courtyard, go east from the entrance toward the Apostolical Palace. Find the area where the construction workers are stationed and locate the bottle on one of the barrels on the ground floor.
8.
Sneak or wear a disguise to enter the Blackshirt Barracks. Once inside the upper floor, the bottle is in a room just next to the staircase leading from the first floor.
9.
Head to the southern side of the Tower of Nicholas V and find a staircase up to the Passetto di Borgo. Take it all the way to the Castel Sant'Angelo and up another set of stairs to a dead end with this Medicine Bottle.
10.
Go through the main doors of the Apostolic Palace via the Borgia Courtyard and sneak or fight the many guards inside to get to the center of the room below the staircase. The bottle is on the little working area set up here.
11.
While you're in the Apostolic Palace, make your way all the way up to the top floor into the bright green room. Guards will be outside so you can either fight past them or sneak in through an adjacent room and across the balcony. Either way, the medicine bottle is on one of the desks against the wall.
12.
Back outside in the construction site outside the palace, go into the wooden storage shed and grab the bottle on the bench below the bulletin board.
13.
This bottle can't be obtained until you go through the main story far enough to meet Gina. Once you have and got out of the Underworld, use a zipline on the balcony to get over to a nearby rooftop. From here, find the hole in the fence to slip through into a tent where a group of guards are undressed to wash themselves. The bottle is on a bench next to a disguise you can snag if you haven't already.
14.
Putting that disguise to good use, infiltrate the restricted area to the north of Belvedere Courtyard and hug the south fence until you find a hole you can sneak through to get into a tent. The bottle is on the table in the middle of the room.
15.
For our final bottle, you must have the Blackshirt Uniform, so take a second to change. Now that you look the part, head to the Blackshirt Barracks and find the tent that needs the Blackshirt Key to open. Open it up and snap up the final bottle.
How to use Medicine Bottles to upgrade HP

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Keeping track of every new video game release is a nearly impossible task. Games are constantly being announced, delayed, rereleased on new platforms, remastered, canceled — you get the point. With the upcoming games lineup constantly shifting on PC, Switch, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, and mobile, it can be hard to find games to look forward to playing (and to budget for) in the coming months.

Despite the herculean task of tracking an entire year of video game release dates, we're giving it our best shot. Check out this month-by-month schedule of new video game releases. We're focusing mainly on highly anticipated titles with concrete release dates, but will also include little-known indies and keep an eye on launch plans for games way out in the distance like Grand Theft Auto 6 or games that are still very early on in development like Hogwarts Legacy 2 or The Last of Us Part 3. If you're looking to get a quick glance at the future of video games, this is the place. We'll keep this list updated and as accurate as possible at regular intervals.
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Believe it or not, we're already in the second half of 2025. The first half was packed with amazing games, but the second half looks even stronger. We'll be sure to note games that have expected or rumored release windows alongside games with solid launch plans.

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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Troy Baker had to win Todd Howard over
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On December 9, Indiana Jones will get his first video game adaptation in over a decade with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. With over three hours of cinematic cutscenes, multiple tools at players’ disposal, and a globe-spanning adventure, the game is one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year.
With the release date approaching and preorders for the game already available, Digital Trends caught up with Executive Producer Todd Howard and Indiana Jones actor Troy Baker to discuss The Great Circle and the wild few years they’ve had with the success of the Fallout and The Last of Us series adaptations. Both talked about the effort and insecurity behind turning an iconic character into a video game hero once again. Like a lot of skeptics, Baker didn't believe he was cut out for it originally -- and neither did Todd Howard.
Digital Trends: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes place between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade, so it focuses on a younger Indy. When you went to make the game, did you get any tips or advice from Harrison Ford or Steven Spielberg about how Indy would move, act, and talk? 
Howard: They’re aware of the project, but we really used the movies as our guide. We looked at Raiders and said this is the character, this is the time period in his life, and these are his mannerisms.
Baker: We have 40 years of source material, so there’s a lot to learn from. To prepare for the role, I would wake up every morning and watch some of Raiders, then I’d listen to John Williams’ score, and watch Temple and Crusade. What I found is that Harrison Ford is the auteur of that character, along with Lucas and Spielberg. But the Indy we all know and love is also created by how we all felt watching those movies. My idea of Indy will be a little different from Todd’s, even though we’re watching the same character in the same movie. For me, it’s not just about understanding his mannerisms and movements, it’s about understanding what’s behind it all. That’s what really helped us take the character they created and make our own story for him.

Troy Baker stars as Indiana Jones Bethesda/MachineGames
I have to say, you did a fantastic job of recreating his voice in the game.
Baker: You know, I didn’t originally think I’d be right for the role. Back in 2019, Tom Keegan, a director I’d never worked with before, reached out to my agent and asked if he could call me. He said that they were casting for an Indiana Jones game and he’d like me for the role. I said, "Great I’ll give you two names and one of these two people will be a great fit." He said, "Thanks, but I like you for this role." So I agreed to put myself on tape, and I told him that if he thinks it’s good, he can send it on, but if it’s not, then burn that tape (laughs). He ended up liking my audition and everything culminated in one final Zoom call with everyone, including Todd. And Todd gets on and says, "I didn’t want you in my game." It was a hell of a way to start a meeting.
Howard: I’ll be honest, when they first said they wanted Troy for the game, I gave an eye roll. I believe my exact line was, "What, Troy Baker’s the guy to solve every lead actor issue in a game now?" (laughs) It just felt like a cop-out in some way. But then Troy’s audition came in, and it was just so good. It wasn’t just the voice, but also the mannerisms. We even did a bunch of blind tests with Troy and some of the other possible actors, and every time, Troy won.

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