Forza Horizon 5 on the PlayStation 5 requires players to have a Microsoft account in addition to their PSN account. This requirement was confirmed through a FAQ on the Forza support website, which states, “Yes, in addition to a PSN account you’ll need to link to a Microsoft account in order to play Forza Horizon 5 on PS5. This process begins the first time you start up the game on your console.” This aligns with the policy seen in other Xbox games available on Sony’s console, such as Minecraft, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves.
The need for a Microsoft account has sparked some controversy within the gaming community. The organization Does it play?, focused on ensuring the accessibility of games and hardware, expressed concerns on Twitter, stating that the requirement "basically kills preservation for the PS5 version of Forza Horizon 5." This highlights worries about the game's future playability if Microsoft were to discontinue the account linking process without making the game independently playable. Additionally, there are fears that players could lose access to the game if they lose their Microsoft account. The situation is compounded by Microsoft's decision to release Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 exclusively as a digital download, with no plans for a physical disc version.
The reaction from the PS5 community has been mixed, with many questioning whether the game supports cross-progression due to the mandatory Microsoft account link. However, the FAQ clarifies that Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 does not support transferring save files from Xbox or PC. Microsoft has noted that this is consistent with the behavior between the Xbox and Steam versions, where game files remain separate and are not synchronized.
While user-generated content (UGC) can be published on one platform and downloaded on another, editing it is only possible on the original profile it was created on. Some online statistics, such as leaderboard scores, are synchronized across platforms if the same Microsoft account is used.
Forza Horizon 5 marks another step in Microsoft’s multiplatform strategy, bringing Xbox games to rival consoles. Expect to see more titles following suit in the coming months.
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