Phil Spencer on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: sequel potential is “alive,” but Microsoft’s priority remains its own IP

In a wide‑ranging conversation with Variety , Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed that Bethesda’s first‑person adventure Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has exceeded the company’s expectations and suggested there is “life in that franchise” beyond this year’s DLC The Order of Giants.

“We’re really happy with Indy, the player response, and we think there’s life in that franchise— I’ll leave it at that,” Spencer said, noting that this week’s PlayStation 5 release should be “a cool moment” for MachineGames, which crafted a distinctly first‑person take on Lucasfilm’s archaeologist.

Even so, Spencer stressed that internal studios will focus primarily on wholly‑owned properties going forward: “I’m inspired by what MachineGames can do next, but I also want to give our teams room to tell new stories. We have a lot of space to build our own franchises.” Any full sequel would, therefore, require a new licensing agreement with Disney.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launched on PC and Xbox Series X|S in January, arriving on PlayStation 5 this week; Sony’s PS5 Pro currently offers the highest console frame‑rate and resolution, though PC remains the technical flagship for players equipped to run its full path‑tracing mode.

What do you think? Should MachineGames crack Indy’s whip one more time, or would you prefer to see the studio create something completely new? Share your take in the comments.