Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution should never be released on any console other than Xbox. The console war between Microsoft and Sony’s PS5 is back on. However, the few winners are coming from a completely different camp, says MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz.
What did Xbox announce? At the Summer Game Fest showcase, Microsoft officials announced that the two upcoming first-party blockbusters Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will be exclusively released on consoles only for Xbox. At xbox.com, it states:
As part of our focus on the return of Xbox, we have also announced that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will be released exclusively for the Xbox console. These are not limited-time exclusives. Games that have already been announced for multiple platforms will stick to this plan – we are committed to continuing to invest in Xbox and expanding it both on the console and beyond.
Thus, Xbox is partially returning to its old exclusivity strategy. First-party games announced for other platforms, such as Forza Horizon 6 or Minecraft Dungeons II, will still adhere to the previously communicated releases for PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2.
Here, the signature of the new Xbox head Asha Sharma is clearly recognizable, who wants to lead Microsoft’s gaming console back to its former relevance under the motto “Return of Xbox”.
What is Sony doing? Not only Microsoft wants to refocus on its own console in the future and bring back the temporarily shelved exclusivity strategy. Sony seems to have taken comparable steps as well.
Just in May, we reported on a town hall meeting at Sony, where Hermen Hulst, the Studio Business CEO of PlayStation, supposedly informed the staff about the new, old way. Specifically, narrative single-player blockbusters are to be released exclusively for PlayStation in the future, so that they – like before – can sell consoles.
Many losers, few winners
How does MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz assess the new trend? Not long ago, the conditions for gamers were quite good. There was a selection of new consoles at reasonable prices, more games than one could play (and they often released for various platforms), as well as subscription services like Game Pass that were almost ridiculously cheap (especially due to frequent promotions for 1 Euro per month).
The gaming experience via cloud was also getting better and better. One could almost freely choose where to play and whether to buy exciting games or play them via a subscription. Only Nintendo continued to do its own thing, and when it came to blockbusters for PS5, one had to plan for wait times until the PC porting.
But those times are over. Cost-cutting is the order of the day everywhere. At the same time, prices for everything are rising. And Sony and Microsoft are rebuilding the old walls, which causes us gamers to lose options, flexibility, and access to certain content.
Whether the plan works and Microsoft ultimately sells more Xbox consoles is highly questionable. It only really worked well during the Xbox 360 era. I also see dark days for Sony. Game development simply takes too long nowadays. If a major must-have blockbuster is released only every few years, hardly anyone will want to invest half a fortune in a console they’ve ignored until now…
In the end, it is mainly the gamers who already have a powerful gaming PC at home that win. Because they can simply ignore Microsoft’s exclusivity strategy for consoles and play Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution via PC Game Pass. They also have access to all of Sony’s non-single-player blockbusters… and to the tens of thousands of games that are released each year for Steam and Co.
Or do you see it differently? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
I personally find it extremely unfortunate that in our favorite hobby, there are increasingly more boundaries and exclusivity, and that the fun for the living room is turning more and more into an unaffordable luxury. One consequence I have already had to draw: The Nintendo Switch 2 has lost me, although I have been a Nintendo fan for 39 years
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