Potential Xbox gamers are being posed a question. Do they invest in an affordable Xbox One or reasonably priced Xbox One X now or wait for theXbox Series X? With Microsoft’s new console launching in late 2020, this decision is certain to frequently cropped up over the coming year. Microsoft, in a surprisingly transparent occasion, has chosen to share some information about isXbox Series Xexclusivity plans to help make the decision easier.
Speaking with MCVUK, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty spoke candidly about how exclusivity will work on the Xbox Series X console. Specifically, it won’t, at least for the first one or two years. Booty confirms thatXbox Game Studioscontent will “play up and down [the Xbox] family of devices” for the first year or two following the Xbox Series X’s launch. That means that, based on Booty’s words, anyone buying and Xbox One or Xbox One X will be able to play next-gen games through 2021 at the very least.
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Booty says there’s a very good reason for this decision, a very simple reason. “We want to make sure that if someone invests in Xbox between now and [Series X] that they feel they made a good investment and that we’re committed to them with content.” It’s a surprising statement to make, given exclusivity has been a part of every console generation yet, but it’s also a sensible and respectful statement. It makes sense to support legacy Xbox buyers rather than force them to buy a new console, though it’ll probably lead to lower initialXbox Series X sales.
It also needs to be said that Booty, it seems, speaks only for Xbox Game Studios. So the implication is thatHalo Infiniteand any other titles launching alongside the Xbox Series X will work with Xbox One and Xbox One X in addition to the Xbox Series X. What Booty doesn’t make clear is how this decision will affect third-party studios. As in, it’s unclear if third-party studios will have the option to release next-gen exclusive games. They’ll assuredly be able to release games with support for older platforms, at the very least.
Fans may ultimately have mixed feelings about Microsoft’s decision. While it’s absolutely a consumer-friendly decision not to have platform exclusive games on the Xbox Series X, at least to start, there’s something to be said about console launch exclusives. There’s a special feeling that comes with buying a new console on launch day and getting to play a game that isn’t available otherwise. It’s a feeling that’s becoming increasingly rare anymore. That may be for the best, however, as bothMicrosoft and Sonywork to include keep players invested in their digital platforms, regardless of their console hardware.
