Microsoft has launched a new feedback platform, Xbox Player Voice, giving fans a chance to vote on community requests. The platform shows that fans are keen for a return to Xbox exclusives.
Microsoft’s multiplatform strategy, which has seen games like Forza Horizon 5 find success on the PlayStation 5, has left some Xbox fans feeling alienated. These hardcore fans are calling for Microsoft to focus on Xbox exclusivity again.
Earlier this month, it was reported that new Xbox boss Asha Sharma is “treading carefully” as she decides what to do with exclusive games. Sharma, who replaced Phil Spencer as Xbox boss, has made several significant changes since taking on the role. This includes ending the controversial ‘This is an Xbox’ marketing campaign, introducing new Xbox console features, and cutting the price of Game Pass. Sharma has also hinted at a re-evaluation of Microsoft’s approach to exclusivity, which has sparked hope among core fans who feel Xbox consoles have been devalued.
Fans have been vocal about their desire for exclusives. The most popular thread on the Xbox Player Voice platform (with 6,319 votes) reads, “XBOX was built off of great game exclusives. You cannot sell any consoles without a reason to buy the console compared to your competition or even sending your tentpole games over to your competitor. Bring them back please!”.
The comments within the thread echo this sentiment. One person said, “If you really care about Xbox, you have to bring back exclusives.” Another added, “Xbox needs to have its exclusive games to differentiate itself from the competition. Exclusives work for Sony and Nintendo, so why would it be different for Xbox?” A third commenter noted, “Exclusive content and features (hardware or otherwise) make a platform stand out in comparison to the competition. Without those, why would anyone get into the XBOX platform and not other, more popular ones? Right now, XBOX simply doesn’t stand out from the competition.”
Microsoft has already said it will “reevaluate our approach to exclusivity.” However, the company has a number of first-party titles due out this year that have already been earmarked for the PS5. For example, it has promised that Forza Horizon 6 will come to PS5 later this year. Microsoft has also said all future Halo games will be released on Sony’s console, starting with this year’s Halo: Campaign Evolved. Playground’s Fable reboot is due out day one on PS5 this fall.
The Verge’s Tom Warren has reported that Sharma “has been evaluating a range of options for Xbox exclusive games, but is treading carefully here and isn’t yet ready to commit to any major changes.” So while hardcore Xbox fans clearly want their exclusives back, there is a question mark over whether Microsoft will agree.
Other top requests on the feedback platform reflect long-standing community concerns. Backwards compatibility is a major issue, as is making online multiplayer free to access. Another high-ranking request is for an achievement list to have a separate category for its DLC, so if you’ve got all the achievements for a game and it gets more via DLC, your 100% will remain. And then there’s the request for an Xbox Game Pass family plan, for Project Helix – the next-gen Xbox – to play discs, and the return of Xbox avatars.
Microsoft has clarified that not every piece of feedback will turn into a feature or result in a change. “Building across a large, global platform means weighing a lot of inputs. But better visibility helps close the gap between what you tell us and what you see happen next on Xbox,” the company said in its announcement on Xbox Wire.
All this talk of Xbox exclusives comes at a time when Sony has ditched PC for its narrative single-player games. This means games like Housemarque’s Saros, Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yotei, Insomniac’s Marvel’s Wolverine and, presumably, Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will all remain PS5 exclusives. But it still leaves the door open for Sony’s multiplatform games to continue to release on PC.
Will Microsoft follow Sony’s lead here?
