Executives at Xbox have once again attempted to clarify the company’s approach to exclusives, promising that “Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are not the only titles” it’s planning.
Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball and chief content officer Matt Booty tried to further explain how Microsoft is handling exclusives during a conversation with GamesRadar. Their clarification arrived amid the company’s renewed interest in the strategy, which kicked off just last month with confirmation that two of its biggest first-party games would not come to PlayStation consoles.
“I can assure you, Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are not the only titles we’re planning,” Ball promised. “To grow a platform like ours, you have to have exclusive games and services. These are not going to be the only two titles.”
Microsoft shocked the industry at its Xbox Games Showcase last month when it declared The Coalition’s Gears of War: E-Day would not be releasing on PS5 as many had expected. The announcement that inXile Entertainment’s Clockwork Revolution would also be console exclusive arrived sooner after. Both were also confirmed to be pure console exclusives with no timed-exclusivity deals in place.
What’s emerged in the weeks since is muddy messaging that’s led to some confusion amongst fans. Just as rumors that Xbox had hastily decided to make the Gears prequel exclusive began to dissipate, theories were reignited when the company leaked an image for the game featuring a PS5 logo. Meanwhile, as games like Gears of War: Reloaded, Halo: Campaign Evolved, and Fable come to PS5, players have been left uncertain about how Microsoft will determine what is an exclusive and what isn’t.
So, what does the future of Xbox exclusive games look like? For the most die-hard fans – and maybe even Microsoft itself – it’s hard to say, for now. In June, Booty said the company will choose which titles get the exclusive treatment on a “case-by-case basis.” Today, he’s being a tad more direct, promising that, while “large live-service titles” will be multiplatform going forward, players shouldn’t expect all single-player titles to be Xbox exclusive.
“I wouldn’t overly fixate on single-player,” he clarified. “I think that’s a good rule of thumb, but it certainly isn’t something that’s carved in stone.”
He continued: “We are the stewards of over 20 game franchises that have made a billion dollars in their lifetime. There are a lot of different games in our portfolio, and we have to think about how different games serve different purposes within it.”
Ball said Microsoft does “have a framework for these selections, including how we evaluate them.” He noted that it’s a strategy that may not be “obvious to all of our players,” saying the Xbox team is “committed to making this clearer.”
As Xbox CEO Asha Sharma brings “energy” to the team, Booty said he’s hoping they strike “the right balance between the work that the teams have invested and a strategy pivot.” The new gaming boss said in June that exclusives are needed to build a platform. Ball echoed that thought in the new interview.
“There is scant evidence of any platform ever being built, let alone sustained, without having exclusive content,” he said. “It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about cable networks, streaming video channels, broadcast, terrestrial radio, a Hollywood studio, a music label – you need it.”
We’re still in the early days of Xbox’s new strategy, so it’s tough to say how it will change its troubled ecosystem in the months and years ahead. As the company attempts to clear the air when it comes to its new exclusive strategy, it’s still trudging through the aftermath of layoffs that arrived alongside what Sharma called the “most significant restructure” in its history. The resustructure in question, which resulted in 1,600 laid off staff with another 1,600 arriving through the rest of the financial year, happened earlier this month.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).