Matthew Ball: Xbox exclusives are ‘start of a program’

Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball said exclusives will form the beginning of a sustained program for the platform but would not identify upcoming Xbox-only titles during a recent interview following the Xbox Games Showcase.

Ball confirmed the company intends to maintain a steady pipeline of exclusives while keeping many large live-service multiplayer games available on multiple platforms. He described the inclusion of two platform-only titles at the showcase, Gears and Clockwork Revolution, as “important” because they show exclusives are ongoing rather than isolated events.

“This is the start of a program, and players can expect a reliable pipeline that validates their historical investment in the Xbox platform, keeps them as Xbox players going forward,” Ball said, adding that platform exclusives support growth and branding.

Asked to list which upcoming titles will be exclusive, Ball declined to provide a full catalogue. “Today, I can’t give you a more comprehensive answer [in terms of] ‘here are all the titles players can expect this year, next year and thereafter that are going to be exclusive,'” he said, noting that Xbox leadership already understands how it will make and evaluate those decisions.

He said the company needs a public framework to explain exclusivity choices to partners and players and that internal and partner communications must come before a broader public message. “The average current Xbox player and the player that we want but don’t have today, have to understand it very simply. That’s where we’re going, we’re just not ready to do it yet,” Ball added.

Ball reiterated that large live-service multiplayer franchises are expected to remain multiplatform, citing Call of Duty as an example. He also noted that several titles announced for other consoles will not be converted into Xbox exclusives.

On internal knowledge of the exclusives pipeline, Ball acknowledged he is aware of upcoming projects but would not confirm specific games. When asked why the single-player adventure Senua was not announced as an Xbox exclusive, he declined to comment further, offering “no further comment.”

Microsoft’s acquisitions of multiple studios in recent years have prompted questions about which games will be platform-exclusive. Ball reiterated that the company will treat large live-service franchises differently from single-player and smaller-scale titles and said a more formal public explanation of exclusivity policy will be provided in time.