Recently, there were reports that new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma wanted to bring back Xbox exclusives after years of Microsoft releasing its games on other platforms. Now, Xbox has officially addressed those reports. Speaking after this year’s Xbox Games Showcase, Microsoft’s Chief Content Officer Matt Booty confirmed that future Xbox games will be handled on a “case-by-case” basis when it comes to exclusivity.
The comments came shortly after Xbox confirmed that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will remain exclusive to Xbox consoles. He said, “We want people to have a reason to get on board with Xbox. We want them to have a reason to buy an Xbox, reason to be an Xbox fan. Same time we want to reward all our players that have been with us for a long time. We know that exclusives are important. That’s why we got Gears coming in 2026, Clockwork in 2027.”
However, Booty also said that multiplayer and live-service games will continue to launch on multiple platforms, including PlayStation and Nintendo consoles. “We also want to be clear, our big multiplayer games, live service games are going to continue to be multiplatform,” he added.
For those wondering about the Xbox games already announced for PlayStation 5, such as Forza Horizon 6, Fable, and Halo: Campaign Evolved, there’s good news. Microsoft says those releases will still go ahead as planned. However, based on these recent comments, it’s possible that, in the future, first-party Xbox games could skip other platforms, as Xbox looks to give players a clearer reason to invest in its hardware.
In other Xbox news, CEO Asha Sharma has made it clear that she wants to turn Xbox into the number one gaming and entertainment company by 2030.
