Xbox promises 'reliable pipeline' of console exclusives in radical shift

Exclusive games are back at Xbox, and leadership now says exclusivity is here to stay in a radical business shift aimed at fortifying the core value of the Xbox platform.

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Yesterday, Microsoft surprised fans by announcing not one, but two Xbox console exclusive games: Gears of War E-Day, coming in 2026, and Clockwork Revolution, coming in 2027. But these aren't the only exclusives that Xbox plans to withhold from PlayStation and Nintendo--management says fans can expect more Xbox console exclusives in the future. And apparently Microsoft has already made a decision on what they will be.

Xbox's new chief strategy officer Matthew Ball offers more info and insight on the exclusivity plans, confirming that more games would be included in an effort to bolster the brand. "This is the start of a program," he said.

"Today, I can't give you a more comprehensive answer and say here are all the titles that gamers can expect this year, next year, and thereafter that are going to be exclusive. We know what those are going to be, we know how we're going to make those decisions and we know how we're going to be evaluated against those decisions."

"So I can tell you how we are thinking about it. We have an internal framework and strategy that we are using to approach exclusives on and off the platform," Ball told attendees at The Game Business Live event in LA, which was attended by Geoff Keighley.

"It was important for us to include two titles so that people understood this was not a one-off, it was not commemorative. We were not saying it's our 25th anniversary, it's Gears' 20th anniversary, we're returning to Xbox, here's an exclusive.

"Players can expect a reliable pipeline that validates their historical investment in the Xbox platform, keeps them as Xbox players going forward. And everyone in the industry understands that exclusives are important to the growth and branding of that platform."

Ball also reiterated previous comments from Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty that all live service games will remain multi-platform, meaning games like Minecraft, Call of Duty, and even Fallout 76 and Elder Scrolls Online.

These are exciting times for Xbox fans as Microsoft simultaneously faces rough waters ahead with the production of its next-gen Project Helix console (the same kinds of woes are affecting Sony, just in a different way, as their consoles are typically produced at a profit).

Xbox's new CEO Asha Sharma says that the business will effectively be "reset", and exclusives are undoubtedly part of this shift. However, at the same time, Sharma has also said that the group must be careful about where it invests money, and that Xbox needs to focus heavily on making affordable products.

It'll be interesting to see if and how exclusives move the needle for Xbox in this case, and whether or not major core brands like Halo will stay exclusive to the Xbox platform in some way.