Xbox Surveys Users on Returning to Exclusives for All Its Games

Xbox Reportedly Surveys Players on How They Feel About Returning Console Exclusivity for All Its Games, Except Call of Duty.

Xbox has reportedly polled how they feel about returning to console exclusivity for all of its games, with the exception of Call of Duty.

The poll, first spotted and shared by Windows Central, asks fans several questions about the exclusivity. Some of these questions ask about specific games, such as Fallout, being Xbox and PC exclusives, while one question asks fans to imagine a world where all Xbox titles, with the exception of Call of Duty, are exclusive to Xbox and PC. Interestingly, one question also suggests that Minecraft will be removed from sales on platforms such as PlayStation and Nintendo, although players who already own the game will be able to keep it. However, existing Minecraft games will not receive any further updates.

The question reads: “Imagine it was announced that all future titles from every Xbox-developed game franchise except Call of Duty would be exclusive to the Xbox console. "For Minecraft only, existing titles will no longer be available for purchase on PlayStation or Nintendo consoles, and will not receive any new content updates. However, there is no impact on any existing titles or content you already own. There are no changes to PC in this announcement."

The survey's questions mainly seek to see if fans really care about exclusivity, if they'll change hardware for it, or if they'll skip a game because it's exclusive. It remains to be seen if this will actually be anything. Companies consider a wide range of possibilities, regardless of how realistic they may be. However, all of this suggests that Xbox is at least considering doubling down on the exclusive.

Earlier this summer, Xbox announced that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution would be exclusive to Xbox and PC forever, but were hesitant to confirm other titles' exclusivity. Games like Forza Horizon 6 and Fable are still slated for the PS5, but it's unclear what will happen when something as big as The Elder Scrolls 6 comes out.

For now, we'll just have to wait and see what happens next. Xbox is at a critical point right now, where it is desperately trying to maintain not only its reputation, but its financial viability after a difficult generation. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma reportedly pointed the finger at Game Pass in a recent meeting because players no longer had the incentive to buy originals like Call of Duty on day one.

Xbox has spent this year pushing back some of its previous plans by removing Call of Duty from Game Pass on day one, and it's also rumored to make changes to day one releases in 2027. It will be interesting to see where Sharma takes the Xbox, but it seems like they are trying to see what the fans want before making any big changes.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for the IGN news team. He covers all things entertainment, including games, movies and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.