Xbox explained why it is betting on exclusive games amid its restructuring

“I wouldn’t focus so much on single-player mode”, Booty clarified. “I think it’s a good general rule, but it’s definitely not set in stone”, he added.

Why Xbox bets on exclusives

Booty explained that the company is responsible for more than 20 video game franchises that have generated a billion dollars throughout its history, and that each one plays a different role within the Xbox portfolio.

Ball, for his part, assured that Microsoft has a framework for evaluating these decisions, although he acknowledged that the strategy is not obvious to all players and that the team is committed to clarifying it.

The context of restructuring within Xbox

The new strategy comes amid the most significant restructuring in Xbox's history, as defined by CEO Asha Sharma. The process included the layoff of 1,600 employees, with another 1,600 hires planned for the rest of the fiscal year.

Ball emphasized that no platform has managed to build or sustain itself without exclusive content, whether in cable, streaming, radio, film studios, or record labels.

Executives from Xbox have once again tried to clarify the company's strategy regarding exclusives, following the confusion generated by their recent announcements. They explained that “Gears of War: E-Day” and “Clockwork Revolution” will not be the only exclusive titles they launch.

The director of strategy at Xbox, Matthew Ball, and the director of content, Matt Booty, spoke with GamesRadar to explain how Microsoft defines which games will be exclusive and which will not.

What Xbox said about its upcoming exclusives

“I can assure you that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are not the only titles we are planning”, promised Ball. “To grow a platform like ours, you need to have exclusive games and services. These will not be the only two titles”, he added.

The confusion behind the exclusivity announcement

Microsoft surprised the industry last month during the Xbox Games Showcase by confirming that “Gears of War: E-Day”, from The Coalition, would not be coming to PS5 as many expected. Shortly after, the same was confirmed for “Clockwork Revolution”, from inXile Entertainment.

Both titles were confirmed as console exclusives without any temporary exclusivity agreements, which implies that they will never come to PlayStation.

Why it raised doubts among fans

In the weeks following the announcement, confusing messages emerged that created uncertainty among players. Rumors were reignited when the company leaked an image of the Gears game with the PS5 logo.

This was compounded by the arrival on PS5 of titles like “Gears of War: Reloaded”, “Halo: Campaign Evolved”, and “Fable”, leaving players uncertain about what criteria Microsoft uses to define its exclusives.

How Xbox decides which games are exclusive

In June, Booty had indicated that the company would choose which titles would receive exclusive treatment “on a case-by-case basis”. Now, the executive was a bit more direct and clarified that, although “major live service titles” will be cross-platform, not all single-player games will be exclusive to Xbox.