Xbox has left the exclusive behind almost entirely. There will also be a Halo game on PS5 by the end of 2026. It looks like there's still hope for anyone hitching their wagon to the Xbox train, though, again, amid all these changes at the studio, there's also the point that it can't be done with the exclusive.
Xbox is still discussing exclusives
That's according to Jez Corden of Windows Central, who is generally pretty reliable when it comes to matters involving the Xbox. During the latest episode of the XB2 podcast, Corden claimed, “There are very, very big discussions internally at Xbox about the feature”. He didn't elaborate on what that might mean, but that exclusives are still being discussed so much that Xbox might not be leaving them behind.
Unlike Xbox players, Xbox developers are reportedly over the moon about putting their games on PlayStation.
More platforms means more players, and more players means more money.
This latest development in how Xbox might plan to handle exclusives in the future potentially flips the expectations of those who use its consoles again. When new CEO Asha Sharma took over earlier this year, her reply to someone asking for exclusives was “Here you are,” leading many to believe that one of her first calls of action would be to bring exclusive games back to the platform.
A different insider quickly poured cold water on those hopes, claiming “specifics are not happening at all”. Here we are, five more weeks deep into Sharma's Xbox reign, and it looks like they're not off the table. The big question is, if Xbox is considering making some of its games exclusive again, how does it get back there?
How can Xbox get its exclusives back?
Take Halo: The Campaign Evolved. Still slated to launch this year, it will be the first Halo game to be released on the PlayStation. There is no doubt in my mind that the game will sell incredibly well on the PS5. However, if Xbox is considering going back to exclusives, it probably means that whatever Halo game comes next, whether it's a remake of Halo 2 or an entirely new entry, won't be coming to PlayStation.
This frustrates a lot of people and leaves a lot of money on the table. On the flip side, it might convince some PlayStation diehards who fell in love with Campaign Evolve to pick up the next Xbox console. Tentatively named Project Helix, the console Xbox is already talking about amid rumors that PlayStation has pushed back plans for the PS6 due to the rising cost of RAM, and, as a result, it and other hardware developers will have to raise the price of what they are selling.
There's certainly a chance that Xbox hasn't ditched the exclusives for good, as we know Sharma has assembled a team dedicated to listening to fan feedback and acting on it whenever possible. This is what made Xbox's achievements so flashy and so popular
Last week's update. Xbox fans want nothing more than exclusive games, so Sharma may be the ultimate goal as Xbox's fearless new leader.
- brand
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Microsoft
- Original release date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$499
- operating system
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Proprietary (Windows based)
- processor
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Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 3.8 GHz
- resolve
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720p – 4K UHD
