Windows Central Insider
Ever since Microsoft's previous Xbox head Phil Spencer retired earlier this year and Asha Sharma stepped up to become the new Xbox CEO, the change that the brand's community has pushed her the most for — and by quite a large margin — is the return of Xbox-exclusive games.
It's dominating discussion on the new Xbox Player Voice feedback forum, and rapidly became enough of a hot topic that it prompted Sharma to respond on several occasions. At first, she implied change may come when she said "the plan is the plan until it's not the plan," then later stated she'll "make some calls" after careful consideration.
Indeed, as much as players want exclusives back, it's not an easy decision for Microsoft to make; the ongoing RAM shortages due to the rise of AI have severely impacted supply available for systems like gaming consoles, so restricting where players can get their hands on Xbox Game Studios titles is risky in the current climate.
Still, many hoped that Microsoft would at least stop advertising the availability of its titles on competing platforms during its Xbox presentations — which is why the news that it still plans to show when its games are multiplatform during the Xbox Games Showcase on June 7 has proven to be rather controversial.
"Yes, absolutely. We'll be very clear about what platforms a game is coming to, and wanna continue the precedent," said Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty during the latest official Xbox podcast episode when asked if this would be the case. "I think we've got a good system going where we make it clear in Showcase."
Saying "It reflects a decision to be deliberate in how we show up for the players who care most about this brand." while showing competitive platforms at your brand's Anniversary Showcase a week later does not line up to me.That's my opinion on this, I've been clear on this…May 29, 2026
Though many see Xbox's commitment to being forthcoming about where its games can be played as commendable, there's also a strong sentiment in the community that Microsoft is kind of shooting itself in the foot here by broadcasting availability on PS5 and other competing platforms during its own presentation.
"I feel like the bare minimum expectation many had was for Xbox to really focus on their own platform at least for the time of the Showcase," said hardcore Xbox fan and prominent community figure Klobrille. "Saying 'It reflects a decision to be deliberate in how we show up for the players who care most about this brand.' while showing competitive platforms at your brand's Anniversary Showcase a week later does not line up to me."
"It’s wierd dude. It’s like Pepsi Max having an advert then at the end saying oh btw you can buy Coke Zero instead," wrote another fan in reply.
Overall, I don't really think this is a big deal — in the end, these games are multiplatform whether Microsoft advertises that fact or not — but I do agree with those that feel this isn't a good marketing strategy, especially since Sony and Nintendo don't mention other platforms the games they show off are coming to in their own showcases.
Asha Sharma's huge plan to make Xbox "where the world plays" isn't going to unfold overnight, and I believe the brand will need major strategic shifts that come in the long-term to work. With that said, I do feel Microsoft would benefit in the short term by putting its own Xbox platforms front and center instead of signaling that you don't need one to play its titles.
How do you feel about Microsoft's decision to advertise availability on other platforms during the Xbox Games Showcase? Let me know in the comments, and in our poll.
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