Xbox gave up its exclusive strategy very early and will fully open up multi-platform distribution starting in 2024. So far, all its first-party IPs have been launched on the competitor PlayStation platform. However, with Asha Sharma taking over as the new head of Xbox, her quest to bring "Xbox back" also has a large mass base.
According to a personal survey by foreign media game reporter Jez Corden (more than 14,000 people participated in the vote), 43% of players support Xbox launching exclusive games. Another 27% of players support limited-time exclusivity. Only 12.4% of players do not want Xbox to have exclusives. This means that 70% of players prefer Xbox to have exclusive games.
This poll makes it clear that fans still want Xbox to return to its traditional operating model, rather than today's all-platform strategy.
As for whether Xbox will return to exclusive games in the future, Asha Sharma's current attitude is relatively vague. She first reiterated that the current multi-platform strategy will not change for the time being, and still plans to launch its first-party games on more platforms, but does not rule out any possibility in the future, hinting at the possibility of returning to exclusives.
Today's poll will at least give Xbox a strong public opinion foundation for its future U-turn.
As the new generation of Xbox consoles is gradually revealed, let us wait and see whether the new CEO Asha Sharma will return to the traditional hardware + exclusive model, or continue the Game Pass subscription and multi-platform strategy vigorously promoted by the previous CEO and senior executives.
It is worth mentioning that it was Game Pass subscription and multi-platform strategy that forced former CEO Spencer and Xbox’s black female president Bond to resign. Xbox’s internal reforms are imperative, and the Indian-born female head Asha Sharma who was airborne may be the perfect candidate for this important task.