The topic Microsoft confirms its new titles are not “timed exclusives” and Gears of… is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
It hasn’t even been a full year since Microsoft dominated PS5’s charts with its cross-platform strategy, and the company has already done a 180. During Sunday’s Xbox Game Showcase, the company announced that some of its biggest hitters will be Xbox exclusives, which begged the question: will Microsoft stick to its cross-platform plan and release the games for other platforms after a few years?
Now, Microsoft has confirmed that, no, it’s actually dead serious about its return to exclusivity deals. The company has explicitly confirmed that its hottest titles announced during the showcase, Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution, are never coming to other consoles, even after the former was rumored to appear on PS5.
As spotted by Push Square, Microsoft published a blog post recapping everything it announced during the Showcase. If you missed the stream, it’s a good way to get caught up with all the titles Microsoft showed off during the event.
The majority of the games revealed were still rooted in Microsoft’s old cross-platform mentality and were confirmed to arrive on Steam and/or the PS5 in the trailers. However, Microsoft’s two biggest bargaining chips, Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution, were marketed as exclusives.
Sometimes a title can be a “timed exclusive,” which means it stays on one platform for a set period before it goes cross-platform. Given how Microsoft expressed interest in bringing its games to as many devices as possible, the company might have been using this strategy here. However, within the blog post is this nugget of information:
As part of our focus on the return of XBOX, we also announced that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will be XBOX console exclusives. These are not timed exclusives. Games already announced for multiplatform releases will stick to that plan – we’re committed to investing in and growing XBOX both on console and beyond.
So, there you have it. Microsoft’s original plan to “make everything an Xbox” has since retreated back to the world of using exclusives to shift consoles. And with Sony also deciding to make some titles PlayStation only, it seems we’re back to the world of walled gardens.