It seems like Microsoft doesn’t know which games will be console-exclusive and which won’t be, which is not a good sign.

After successfully implementing a multiplatform strategy, it was shocking to learn that Xbox and Microsoft are returning to console-exclusive games, starting with Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution. Despite the fact that the company has already eliminated 1,600 jobs and plans to cut another 1,600 by July 2027, Matt Booty, the director of content, says the company will continue to focus on console-exclusive releases. He says they will follow a strategic framework that may not be immediately obvious to all Xbox players. Booty said he won’t be overly fixated on single-player games. He believes this is a good guideline but certainly not a rule set in stone. They oversee more than 20 game franchises that have generated $1 billion in revenue over their lifetimes. Their portfolio includes a wide variety of games, and they need to consider the roles that different games serve within the portfolio. However, deciding which game to make a console exclusive is not random, as the company has a framework for these selections, including how they are evaluated. This strategy may not be obvious to every gamer, but it will become clearer later on. Not every single-player game developed by an Xbox studio is a console exclusive. Therefore, there’s a good chance that global hit franchises like The Elder Scrolls VI and Fallout 5 will be released on PlayStation, just as the Halo series was with Halo: Campaign Evolved. However, the franchise’s future is just as unclear as Xbox’s exclusivity strategy because Halo Studios is reportedly not actively developing any games at the moment. We reported on this yesterday.

Judging by the recent developments at Xbox, it’s clear that the company is experiencing its most challenging period yet. Numerous studio heads are rejecting Xbox Game Pass, a central pillar of the company’s strategy in recent years. Simply returning to exclusive titles will not be enough to win back the goodwill of developers and players, nor will it repair the damage caused by years of poor leadership and a frenzied wave of acquisitions.

Source: WCCFTech, GamesRadar