Report: Microsoft Considering Exclusive Releases of Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Even Minecraft for Xbox Consoles
There is no secret that Microsoft's gaming division has struggled to match PlayStation and Nintendo in active console users, and to fix these problems, it may be focusing on
It's no secret that Microsoft's gaming division has been struggling to keep pace with PlayStation and Nintendo in terms of the number of active console users, and it may consider turning to a radical option to solve these problems.
Yesterday, a new survey for a group of Xbox users appeared on the Insider program, according to a report by Jez Corden of Windows Central Media; Probably among those Microsoft has identified as owners of multiple devices. A user sent the images of this survey that you read below to Windows Central, and this website has also confirmed that they are real.
Xbox's problematic, multi-platform strategy has left many multi-device users with even fewer reasons to fire up their Microsoft consoles. In such an environment, Microsoft's chance to attract users to its exclusive ecosystem decreases significantly, which affects both the revenues of first-party games and the justification and durability of third-party studio ports.
Microsoft sells a huge amount of games on PlayStation, but to have this privilege, it has to pay 30% of the sales share as commission. Since many PlayStation users already own an Xbox, Microsoft is potentially giving away potential users for no good reason.
These new polls suggest that Microsoft may be considering drastic measures to change this situation.
This survey asks a variety of questions from users in different ecosystems; Including how likely they are to invest on the Xbox platform if various games are released as timed exclusives or even full exclusives for the Xbox console.
Microsoft asks if users are willing to migrate to Xbox to experience each game individually; These include the idea of exclusivity for games such as Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, DOOM, Hideo Kojima's PHYSINT project, Diablo, and even Minecraft itself. In this survey, it is even emphasized that existing titles will not be removed from other platforms, but will not receive new content.
There's even a Core Option question, which asks users how they would change their habits if every single Xbox game (except Call of Duty, which is likely excluded due to the requirements of studio purchase agreements) were completely exclusive to the console.
The survey asks users to consider this hypothetical scenario and provides multiple-choice responses below.
The last question of this survey states:
Imagine announcing that all future releases of all Xbox-developed franchises, except Call of Duty, will be released exclusively for the Xbox console. Only in the case of Minecraft, existing versions will no longer be available for purchase on PlayStation or Nintendo consoles and will not receive any new content updates. However, this will have no effect on existing titles or content that you have previously purchased. This announcement does not make any changes to the PC platform.
In this scenario, users are then asked whether they will return to their current Xbox console, buy a new console, migrate to PC, or skip the game altogether.
In the short term, even if Microsoft generates massive enthusiasm for its platform and somehow manages to even magically make GTA 6 exclusive, the component shortage crisis (aka the RAMpocalypse) has pushed hardware sales to an all-time low. Even though Xbox inventory is available globally, the price of these consoles has become prohibitive for many people. But this situation (we hope) will not last forever.
If games like Fallout 5, The Elder Scrolls 6, and Diablo 5 are exclusive to the Xbox Helix console, this will undoubtedly bring massive sales for the Xbox hardware. But will there even be enough hardware inventory on the market? Historically, and even before the parts crisis, Microsoft has always faced problems in the global distribution of its products. While we believe Xbox desperately needs exclusive content, the risks on paper are undeniable.
But on the other hand, sacrificing the entire platform is potentially just as dangerous. PlayStation itself has also recently recaptured a significant share of users from its Steam platforms and Windows PC games.
If Xbox is going to become just a simple publisher, it doesn't make much sense to keep it as an independent entity. Today, more than ever, Microsoft is a hardware company whose power comes from its growing data centers and proprietary chips, such as the new Maya chips; Chips that have recently pushed the company's stock to new records. Microsoft has already sacrificed the mobile platform as an end destination, which severely limits its ability to distribute and train its AI platforms. Can't imagine they want to repeat the same mistake with Xbox.
Of course, polls are just polls, and all of these may ultimately come to nothing. Also, this issue can be a sign of the thought process and approach of Xbox managers. Perhaps there are calculations that prove that these efforts are ultimately not worth the effort. The release of Halo Campaign Evolved on PlayStation has most likely caused irreparable damage to the Xbox brand as a hardware entity; Even though the game itself did not receive a very impressive and wonderful reception.
Ultimately, the future of Xbox could turn out to be a lot more interesting than expected.