Summary
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Microsoft abandons cross-platform push; Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are Xbox exclusives.
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Microsoft says these are not time-exclusive; announced multiplatform games will remain multiplatform.
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Microsoft is returning to console-centric exclusives, signaling a return to closed platform competition.
Not even a full year has passed Microsoft dominated PS5’s charts with its cross-platform strategyand the company has already done a 180. During the Xbox Game Showcase on Sunday, the company announced that some of its biggest hits will be Xbox exclusives, begging the question: Will Microsoft stick with its cross-platform plan and release games for other platforms in a few years?
Now Microsoft has confirmed that, no, its return to exclusive deals is indeed serious. The company has publicly confirmed that the hottest titles it announced during the showcase, Gears of War: E-Day and The clockwork revolutionnever coming to other consoles, even later The former was rumored to appear on the PS5.
Microsoft’s new flagship titles are ‘not timely exclusives’, company says
The Redmond giant is returning to its winning formula for consoles
As seen Push SquareMicrosoft published blog post He repeats everything he announced during the Showcase. If you missed the broadcast, this is a good way to catch up on all the titles Microsoft showed off during the event.
Most of the games revealed were still rooted in Microsoft’s old cross-platform mentality, and were confirmed to be coming to Steam and/or PS5 in trailers. However, Microsoft’s two biggest bargaining chips, Gears of War: E-Day and The clockwork revolutionexclusively marketed.
Sometimes a title can be a “timed exclusive”, which means it stays on one platform for a certain amount of time before going cross-platform. Given Microsoft’s interest in bringing its games to as many devices as possible, the company may have used this strategy here. However, the blog post has this nugget of information:
We also announced this as part of our focus on bringing back the XBOX Gears of War: E-Day and The clockwork revolution There will be XBOX console exclusives. These are not timed exclusives. Games already announced for multi-platform releases will stick to this 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 Xbox” has since retreated into the world of using exclusives to replace consoles. And with Sony also decides to make some titles PlayStation-onlyit seems we are back in the world of walled gardens.
