Xbox Series X exclusives not part of Microsoft’s launch strategy, says games boss

Xbox Series X exclusives from Microsoft aren’t part of the platform holder’s launch strategy for the console, according to its first-party games boss.

While exclusive games have traditionally been key to driving console sales, Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty says the company is keen to avoid alienating Xbox One owners by releasing platform exclusive titles during its new console’s launch window.

True exclusives might not arrive until Xbox Series X’s second Christmas on the market, he suggested in an interview with MCV.

“As our content comes out over the next year, two years, all of our games, sort of like PC, will play up and down that family of devices,” Booty said.

“We want to make sure that if someone invests in Xbox between now and [Series X] that they feel that they made a good investment and that we’re committed to them with content.”

Microsoft announced in June that it plans to launch Halo Infinite alongside its next-gen console during the 2020 holiday season. Described as a “spiritual reboot” of the first-person shooter series which launched in 2001, the game’s also in development for Xbox One and PC.

“Our approach is to pick one or two IP that we’re going to focus on and make sure that they’re there at the launch of the console, taking advantage of all the features,” Booty told MCV. “And for us that’s going to be Halo Infinite, which is a big opportunity.

“It’s the first time in over 15 years that we’ll have a Halo title launching in sync with a new console. And that team is definitely going to be doing things to take advantage of [Series X].”

Microsoft’s second Xbox Series X game, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 from Ninja Theory, was announced in December 2019 as the company showed its next-gen console publicly for the first time.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said Microsoft aims to expand its Xbox Play Anywhere scheme to Xbox Series X. Currently, Xbox Play Anywhere digital titles enable owners to play them on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC, with saves and achievements transferred between the two platforms.