Reaction: Mealy-Mouthed Microsoft Takes Us Back to 2023 with Mixed Messaging on Xbox Exclusivity

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2023 called, it wants its ambiguity back.

I received some criticism earlier this year for saying Microsoft’s inconsistent strategy with exclusive games was frustrating, and it seems like that pattern will continue after yesterday’s Xbox Showcase, leading to more confusing announcements in the coming months.

I hesitated to write this because I anticipate Microsoft will soon be sharing details with gaming news outlets after Summer Game Fest. What I’ve written here might need to be updated as new information becomes available.

As I started writing, the statement from Matt Booty seemed like the most reliable information available. However, it didn’t really explain things much better.

If you didn’t catch Microsoft’s recent presentation, it was generally enjoyable and capped off a week of really strong livestreams. Our poll shows people are pretty evenly divided on which one was the best, suggesting they were all well-received – which is great!

Xbox presented a lot of promising games, including titles like Crazy Taxi and Vivarium. While the lineup was diverse, it didn’t quite have the groundbreaking impact needed to be considered one of the best presentations ever, similar to Sony’s showcase.

As a PlayStation fan, I was pretty surprised to hear about some games being exclusive to Xbox consoles again! It’s wild because, remember back in 2024 when Phil Spencer announced it would only be four games? It felt like that whole ‘Xbox exclusivity‘ thing was over, but apparently not!

Reports indicate that Gears of War: E-Day, previously intended as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, is no longer in development. Microsoft claims the cancellation isn’t temporary, but many are skeptical given the circumstances.

Considering how much new CEO Asha Sharma has listened to the Xbox community, it felt inevitable she would address this issue. For a while, it seemed like The Coalition’s game would be the one cancelled to make it happen.

However, making Clockwork Revolution exclusive to consoles definitely changed my initial impression.

I wanted to hear Microsoft’s perspective on this, and it didn’t take long to find Matt Booty discussing it on the Gamertag Radio podcast.

However, his comments actually created more confusion than clarity, and unfortunately brought back the frustrating “case-by-case” approach PlayStation players dealt with earlier in the console’s lifecycle.

He said:

We plan to keep our major multiplayer and live service games available on multiple platforms. We’ll definitely keep any promises we’ve already made to players. Moving forward, we’ll carefully consider each game individually and make the best long-term decision, rather than rushing things. When we announce a release date, we’ll also announce which platforms it will be on.

I expected Booty to be well-prepared for the interview, so I was surprised at how easily his statements were criticized.

He argues that large multiplayer and live service games will continue to be released on multiple platforms. However, it’s unclear how this aligns with his earlier mention of Gears of War: E-Day, which seems to suggest otherwise.

While the new Gears of War game has a story campaign, the focus of the series has always been its multiplayer. Recent announcements, including a post on Xbox Wire and details shared after the Xbox Showcase, suggest the game will continue this trend with ongoing updates and features, similar to a live service game.

Booty stated they’ll keep their promises regarding previously revealed games, which is why we’re seeing Fable and Halo: Combat Evolved return for PS5. However, it’s unclear where games like Senua and Spyro: A Realm Beyond fit into this plan, considering they were also presented as new single-player titles.

This leads us to his last point: each situation will be handled individually. Booty suggested Microsoft hasn’t firmly decided whether to make games exclusive yet, saying they’ll prioritize the best long-term choice, not just the quickest one. This indicates they’re still figuring things out as they go.

This reminds me of how carefully Microsoft spoke during the time they were trying to buy Activision, especially when they were promoting Starfield as a revolutionary role-playing game.

Xbox has clearly invested nearly $100 billion in buying game publishers, and they’re free to release their games on any platform they want.

I still feel the same way as I did earlier this year: constantly changing direction is exhausting, and I don’t think it’s helping Microsoft gain ground in the market.

It’s possible Microsoft will get things right and stay consistent this time, but considering their history, I doubt they’ll follow a predictable course anytime soon.

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2026-06-08 20:07