Xbox has shed more light on the company’s exclusivity strategy, after last night’s showcase threw a few surprises our way.
During the showcase, we got word of two Xbox console exclusives: Clockwork Revolution and Gears of War: E-Day. Up until last night, the assumption had been that Gears of War: E-Day would also be released on PlayStation 5. A PEGI rating still had it listed as a PS5 release just moments before Gears of War: E-Day’s trailer aired, and allegedly this late change in platforms also caught some retailers anticipating a PlayStation release off guard.
But, while Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are both Xbox console exclusives (and not times ones, at that), other games coming from the company’s first party studios are not. The likes of Fable and Halo: Campaign Evolved have both been developed for PlayStation 5 as well, leaving some to question what exactly Xbox’s strategy is. Following the successful launches of Sea of Thieves, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and more on PS5 and Nintendo Switch, is Xbox pulling back on multi-platform releases, or is it not?
Following last night’s reveals, Xbox’s Chief Content Officer Matt Booty spoke with Gamertag Radio about just that. He said the company wanted to give players a reason to purchase an Xbox and become an Xbox fan, while also rewarding those who have supported the company for many years now. “We know that exclusives are important,” Booty said, highlighting Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution’s Xbox releases.
That being said, Booty added that Xbox’s big multiplayer and live service games will continue to be multiplatform. “If we’ve promised something to players already, we are going to honour that promise,” Booty stated, adding exclusivity will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
The exec closed by saying that when Xbox announces the release date of a game, it will also announce its launch platforms. “We’re going to make the right decision, not the fast decision,” Booty stressed, echoing similar words made by Xbox’s newly-appointed CEO Asha Sharma.
Since her appointment in February of this year, Sharma has been steadily leaving her mark on the Xbox (or XBOX) brand. In May, she revealed the company would be sunsetting its Copilot initiative, which was once envisioned as an AI-driven “personal gaming sidekick”, designed to offer real-time advice in games such as Minecraft. Sharma has also made changes to Xbox’s Game Pass model, scrapped the “This is an Xbox” campaign, and started pointing attention to the next generation of Xbox hardware, so far known only as Project Helix. This hardware will “lead in performance”, Sharma said, though when exactly we will see it remains something of a mystery.
As Sharma continues work on fixing the Xbox brand image, there is a growing call from the BDS movement to boycott the gaming platform due to parent company Microsoft’s reported complicity in Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian population and state.
For everything else announced last night, including Resonance: A Plague Legacy, Metro 2039 and more, be sure to check out Lottie’s roundup: Everything announced in Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase.
