Microsoft denies killing Xbox exclusives — but the trust delta is real

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Over the past couple of days, a rumor picked up steam spread by gaming forums that Microsoft isn't actually serious about Xbox exclusive games.

Exclusive games have been a contentious issue for Xbox. Halo itself is going to PlayStation soon, robbing Xbox of its signature iconic franchise. Nintendo and PlayStation have doubled down on exclusive content, and even Valve kept Half-Life: Alyx off competing VR platforms in favor of its own Steam store.

Microsoft has done a 180 on it, with new CEO Asha Sharma confirming that Xbox will have exclusive content. But given the fact Xbox is looking at making massive savings by potentially closing studios, the logical case for reducing a game's addressable audience is hard to parse. It's particularly true when Xbox itself admits it can't produce enough Xbox Series X|S consoles to meet demand. Why create desire for your hardware if you can't actually sell any?

These rumors are false. Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will stay exclusive. There are no conversations and have been no conversations to "reverse course." And as we said last week, players can continue to expect signature exclusives from us every year.June 16, 2026

These rumors are false. Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will stay exclusive. There are no conversations and have been no conversations to "reverse course." And as we said last week, players can continue to expect signature exclusives from us every year.June 16, 2026

It's in this vacuum of confusion that rumors have spread. Even "reputable" outlets like Vice reported on the so-called rumors, that suggest Xbox only talked up Gears: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution as exclusive titles as a temporary, token gesture. And that in fact, they were already working to walk back exclusivity.

Xbox's new CSO Matthew Ball came out pretty strongly against that rumor today, confirming my own sourcing that suggested the rumors were just hearsay at best and clout-chasing fantasy at worst.

"These rumors are false," Matthew Ball said on X. "Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will stay exclusive. There are no conversations and have been no conversations to "reverse course." And as we said last week, players can continue to expect signature exclusives from us every year."

And there you have it. At least for now, exclusive games is the strategy. But ... for how long, really?

People have been taught by Microsoft not to trust Microsoft

The problem for me (and others) is ... Microsoft has historically said a lot of "stuff" and then reversed course.

If you're on social media, I was notoriously caught out myself a few years ago for assuming that Xbox wouldn't ditch exclusive games. I didn't look into it, assumed, and called the rumors fanboy FUD (and to be fair, I had seen the rumor from a notorious and toxic now-banned account whose claim to fame was spreading demonstrably false rumors). But the very notion seemed absurd to me, and others: Why would people buy Xbox hardware if it had no exclusive content?

I was obviously very wrong to have assumed, because it wasn't a few months later we saw Xbox begin rapidly shipping games on other platforms. And then, it even began marketing other platforms instead of its own in an ill-advised ad campaign that incoming CEO Asha Sharma since killed.

Indeed, we're now reversing course again.

Asha deserves an opportunity to build up a sense of certainty and stability to subsidize past mistakes of prior leadership. Fans deserve a moment of respite. And more than anything, the developers and employees deserve to have an opportunity to shine inside the new frame work.

Asha deserves an opportunity to build up a sense of certainty and stability to subsidize past mistakes of prior leadership. Fans deserve a moment of respite. And more than anything, the developers and employees deserve to have an opportunity to shine inside the new frame work.

The decisions of the past are of course not the responsibility of the all-new leadership layer at Xbox. To her credit, new CEO Asha Sharma has been incredibly transparent about the difficulties facing Xbox and the industry overall. But the audience doesn't see that. For years now, the audience just sees chaos. Years upon years of nearly non-stop chaos. Years of games being announced, like Perfect Dark, and then cancelled. We even saw Ninja Theory's new game at the Xbox Showcase not a few weeks ago, only for it to now be facing cancellation.

RELATED: Inside Xbox's margin crush, and the difficult future ahead

It's exhausting as a fan, but let's assume you're a future potential customer ... the lack of certainty can't be good for creating faith and investment in your platform, no?

I'm no business analyst, but I wish Microsoft's bean counters would have a little bit more patience and let Asha's new strategy play out a bit before taking another fiscal axe to proceedings.

Asha deserves an opportunity to build up a sense of certainty and stability to subsidize past mistakes of prior leadership. Fans deserve a moment of respite. And more than anything, the developers and employees deserve to have an opportunity to shine inside the new frame work.

How are you feeling about the state of Xbox? Let us know below.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Jez Corden is the Executive Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem — while being powered by tea. Follow on X.com/JezCorden and tune in to the XB2 Podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!

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