The rumors were true: Microsoft is changing its plan for Xbox exclusivity once again. New CEO Asha Sharma recognizes the importance of exclusive content, but that doesn't mean a full return to exclusive. Fans were quite confused during yesterday's Xbox Games Showcase 2026: two games, Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution, were confirmed to be full (not timed) Xbox console exclusives. However, other games that did not have any announced PS5 version, like State of Decay 3 and Senua, received it during the same stream.
Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty tried to clarify the new plan in an interview with GamerTag Radio:
We want people to have a reason to get on board with Xbox, a reason to buy an Xbox, and a reason to be Xbox fans. At the same time, we want to reward the players who have been with us for a long time. Exclusives matter, which is why we have Gears coming in 2026 and Clockwork in 2027. But we also want to be clear that our big multiplayer and live-service games will continue to be multiplatform. If we have already promised something to players, we are going to honor that promise.
We are going to keep thinking about this going forward, and our principle is that when we announce a date, we want to announce the platforms too. It will be case by case, but when there is a release date, there will also be a platform decision.
So, multiplayer games will continue to be multiplatform, which makes sense given the need to take advantage of a larger player base. However, it would be cleaner if Microsoft simply made all of its single player games console-exclusive once again, which is, after all, what Sony is doing on PC. This way, fans will continue to be baffled by why a certain game is exclusive, and another isn't.
The big question mark at this point is Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls VI. Will Microsoft try to use it to push Xbox consoles, especially Project Helix, or maximize its sales potential by launching on PlayStation, too? We'll likely have to wait until next year at least to know the answer.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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