by Quick - what's the current Xbox exclusivity strategy? Are the biggest titles Xbox-exclusive? Or is Microsoft's dream to be the biggest game publisher mean that everything should come out everywhere? And where does Game Pass fit into all this?
I think that even the most diehard Xbox fan is probably unable to give a succinct answer to the question - and that's certainly true of Microsoft itself. Unlike Nintendo, who simply opt out of publishing its first-party games elsewhere, and Sony, which keeps its narrative games as exclusives, Microsoft has meandered from one side of the exclusivity continuum to the other over the past decade.
The current state of play, based on comments from Microsoft executives and the recent Xbox Games Showcase, seems to be that games are considered on a case-by-case basis, with "system-seller" titles staying exclusive and more casual affairs going multi-platform. But even that description doesn't really reflect the reality of the situation. It makes perfect sense that a game like Gears of War: E-Day could sell consoles. But then we have InXile Entertainment's upcoming immersive-sim-stroke-RPG, Clockwork Revolution, getting the Xbox exclusive treatment - despite not really fitting into the system-seller category, at least at first glance.
Like Rich, John and Oliver mention in the DF Direct clip embedded above, Clockwork Revolution is a bit of a hard game to market, even if it ends up being fantastic. The Inxile name means a lot to me, as I spent a huge amount of time in the phenomenal RPGs they crafted post-Interplay - Torment: Tides of Numenera, Wasteland 2 and Wasteland 3 - but it's hardly a household name for Xbox players. The stylised look of the trailer, as Rich remarks, doesn't really provide an immediate wow factor either - you kind of need to see the game and the characters together over a longer period to appreciate how everything comes together. And again, is an original IP immersive sim with RPG elements going to convince someone to buy an Xbox Series X or Series S? It's hard to say with certainty that even a hugely well-reviewed Clockwork Revolution would be able to achieve that.
With that in mind, it feels a little odd that Clockwork Revolution gets the exclusive nod, while the likes of Fable and Halo: Campaign Evolved are going to PS5 too. It may be the case that these games were already subject to contract, but it still speaks to the lack of a coherent Xbox exclusivity strategy that we don't fully understand the reasoning behind title selection. It's especially puzzling for Clockwork Revolution, an Unreal Engine 5 title that fundamentally could run on PS5/Pro and access a huge number of extra players paying full price, something that could make a difference to the fortunes of its developers.
Asha Sharma's short reign as the head of Xbox - sorry, XBOX - has already brought about meaningful changes, and I think it's absolutely fair for her to make a shift in terms of how the brand thinks about exclusivity as it tries to consolidate its core audience. I just wish that strategy was a little more consistent, a bit better explained, and the conversation can turn to the quality of the games rather than the confusion of its messaging.