Xbox's chief strategy officer has confirmed that more “permanent” exclusives are coming to the platform, while offering an explanation that doesn't quite clear things up.
Ever since Asha Sharma became Xbox's CEO and made it clear that she was listening to fans (for better or for worse), it seemed inevitable that the company would quickly try to go back to exclusives. Considering Xbox's undeniably profitable move into third-party publishing started just two years ago, it was anyone's guess how that would play out.
Instead of being saved for a giant release like The Elder Scrolls 6 or even the next Halo, Xbox's exclusive strategy was confirmed to start with Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution. It's been a little unclear what the long-term future of exclusives looks like, and some recent comments haven't helped much.
More “permanent” exclusives are coming to Xbox, but don't “fix” single player
At least Xbox knows the strategy isn't done
Yesterday, GamesRadar+ published an interview with Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty and chief strategy officer Matthew Ball about the company's return to exclusives. Ball begins by dismissing claims that even Xbox staff were surprised by the move, noting that the decision was made “very early” by new CEO Asha Sharma.
Booty confirms that exclusives are here to stay, as people need a reason to buy an Xbox, and that they act as a “reward” for supporters. It was also reconfirmed that E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are not timed exclusives, but instead are “permanent ones” that will be joined by other titles in the future. As Ball puts it, “These won't be the only two titles”.
As for which games might become exclusive, this is where it gets confusing. Gears and Clockwork suggest that single-player games will be exclusives, but Booty says not to “fix too much” on that, as it's not guaranteed. Booty claims the team needs to think about how “different games serve different purposes,” which isn't really saying anything.
If your head hurts a little, you're not alone. At the very least, Ball acknowledged that “the framework for these choices” is not obvious to players, and that the team is “committed to making this more clear.” For now, though, we'll just have to wait and see what Xbox has planned for some of its future releases.
But from the sounds of it, Xbox might be hesitant to say that any single-player game is exclusive when something like The Elder Scrolls can reach such a massive audience across all consoles, while something like Gears and the next Halo are more Xbox. It's just a guess, but it's the best we have at the moment.
