Online game exclusives have been an enormous draw for years now, however it’s a technique that Microsoft seems to have deserted over current years. Microsoft has launched extra titles from its first-party studios throughout a number of platforms, just like the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Change consoles, and several other upcoming video games are additionally set to launch for these techniques sooner or later. However might Microsoft ever return to having unique video games? New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is not ruling out a return to the outdated console methods, relying on the state of affairs at hand.
“Proper now, I must be taught, candidly. In regards to the ‘why’ of those selections, what we have been optimizing for, and what the info says in regards to the Xbox technique right this moment,” Sharma stated to Windows Central. “That is the sincere reply. I am taking a look at lifetime worth, not simply what occurred in a earlier second, or in short-term efficiencies and issues like that. The plan’s the plan till it is not the plan.”
It’s value noting that Microsoft has skilled nice success by bringing a number of of its video games to PlayStation, as a number of of them dominated the gross sales charts in 2025. The one inconsistent factor with this technique is the discharge dates, as some video games launch the identical day for a number of techniques whereas others arrive months later after spending a number of months as timed exclusives on Xbox Sequence X|S and PC. Prime examples right here embody Fable and Forza Horizon 6, two new titles from Playground Video games. Forza Horizon 6 is releasing on PS5 after the Xbox launch, whereas Fable will likely be on each platforms day-and-date.
Sharma’s different level that she alludes to is targeted on the long-term success of those video games and the way they’ll drive audiences towards the Xbox model if they continue to be unique to that platform. In any case, why purchase an Xbox console if you may get the identical sport in your PS5 finally?
Final week was a tumultuous one for Xbox, after Microsoft introduced that Phil Spencer and his inheritor obvious, Sarah Bond, have been leaving the gaming division. Sharma began her first day on the job earlier this week, and Xbox founder Seamus Blackley stated that she’s going to quickly see how avid gamers are typically impatient and illiberal. In the meantime, Sharma has stated that she desires to see Xbox return to its roots and assist her groups construct video games with deep emotional resonance.