Top XBOX executives Matthew Ball and Matt Booty are now opening up about the exclusivity strategy for Microsoft’s gaming brand moving forward. Both make it clear that exclusives are needed for the brand to survive and for players to want to purchase its hardware.
XBOX is undergoing a massive reset in 2026. Currently, a lot of the emphasis is on the negatives resulting from necessary changes. Unfortunately, this reset is resulting in thousands of job cuts and major restructurings. However, before the news of the layoffs and restructurings took over the conversation about XBOX, the company was generating goodwill with players by reintroducing console exclusives such as Gears of War: E-Day and revitalizing IPs once thought dormant, such as Crazy Taxi and Spyro the Dragon.
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XBOX Says Exclusive Games Are Essential for the Brand’s Future
During a recent interview with GamesRadar+, XBOX’s Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball and Chief Content Officer Matt Booty discussed exclusivity plans going forward, with Ball confirming that Gears of War: E Day and the upcoming Clockwork game will not be timed exclusives to the Xbox platform but permanent ones. Also, more exclusives are on the way.
“I can assure you, Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are not the only titles we’re planning,” says Ball. “To grow a platform like ours, you have to have exclusive games and services. These are not going to be the only two titles.”
Furthermore, it was revealed that large live service titles will continue to be multiplatform, but that doesn’t mean all single-player games developed by XBOX studios will be permanently planned as console exclusives.
“We are the stewards of over 20 game franchises that have made a billion dollars in their lifetime,” says Booty. “There are a lot of different games in our portfolio, and we have to think about how different games serve different purposes within it.”
XBOX Says Fable’s Multiplatform Release Honors Past Commitments
When asked why games like Fable are still on course to be a multiplatform release, both men said it’s about respecting the commitments they already made to their partners and players.
“While we’re looking to be nimble, and it’s fantastic to have the energy that’s come with Asha’s new leadership, we’ve also got projects that have been in the works for a long time,” says Booty. “We have to hit the right balance between the work that the teams have invested and a strategy pivot.”
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