Xbox CEO: Exclusives Needed as Xbox Weighs Switch 2, PS5 Releases

Xbox chief executive Asha Sharma told reporters the company is weighing whether to continue publishing titles on the Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 as it balances its identity as both a publisher and a platform.

Sharma said the issue reflects competing priorities. ‘It’s a tough topic. Look, we’re the number two publisher in the world and in order to be a great publisher, you must have your games reach large audiences to play,’ she said. ‘At the same time, we’re increasingly becoming a platform, and in order to become a platform, you must have exclusive content and services.’

The company has already released games on both systems. Sharma said those releases and other recent examples are informing internal discussions about which titles should appear on competing hardware and which should remain exclusive.

She said decisions will be made on a title-by-title basis. ‘I think that we have to be very thoughtful about each title, on how we want to think about it, and learn from some similar cases in the industry, and that’s what we’re doing,’ she added.

Company executives note that releasing a game across platforms can increase its audience and revenue, while exclusive titles can encourage buyers to choose a specific console and subscribe to related services.

Sharma spoke as Xbox manages a growing catalog and defines how tightly content will be tied to its own services. The company did not announce any changes to its publishing policy.