Xbox Explains What Makes A Game An Xbox Exclusive

Amidst mass layoffs and increasing hardware prices, one of the other side effects of the Xbox “reset” is a renewed focus on console exclusives. While we know that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will only be available on Xbox Series X|S and PC, they won’t be the only two exclusives landing on those platforms.

“I can assure you, Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are not the only titles we’re planning,” chief strategy officer Matthew Ball said to GamesRadar. “To grow a platform like ours, you have to have exclusive games and services. These are not going to be the only two titles. To return our platform to consistent growth, we need a reliable pipeline of exclusive games. Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are just the first.”

While Xbox has its eye on drawing more people to its platforms through the power of exclusives–it is aiming to “entertain” a billion people every day, eventually–not every game will be locked to Xbox. Ball added that “large live-service titles” will continue to be multiplatform titles, and some single-player games could also make their way to hardware like the PS5.

As Ball explained, Microsoft has a “framework” in place for deciding which games will be Xbox exclusives and which ones will expand to additional platforms, as the company decides on a case-by-case basis. “I recognize that this approach is not obvious to all of our players, and we are committed to making this clearer,” Ball said.

While the new Gears of War and Clockwork Revolution won’t be landing on PS5, Halo: Campaign Evolved and Fable will be available on the Sony platform the same day and date as the Xbox and PC versions of the game. Halo: Campaign Evolved executive producer Damon Conn added that going multiplatform was the right approach for the game as it celebrates its 25th anniversary, as this will allow friends to enjoy shared experiences no matter which system they’re on.

While Xbox seems adamant to offer exclusive games once again, one analyst believes that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are being used as sacrificial lambs to win back hearts and minds, following several months of bad news at the Microsoft gaming division.