Xbox CEO Asha Sharma wants to "make the right decision" on future game exclusivity

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma says Microsoft has not yet decided whether to bring back exclusive games and that she wants to make “the right decision, not the fastest decision” as the company reworks its overall strategy.

The details:

• Speaking with Game File, Sharma said that exclusivity is one of several “long-swinging decisions” Xbox is weighing, alongside wider changes to Game Pass and the company’s hardware plans, and said the team will use “a data-driven approach and a strategic-driven approach” before making any final changes. "These are long-term decisions, like long-swinging decisions that have decade-long impact,” Sharma said. “It takes a while to create great games, and so the team’s been through a lot of cycles. I don’t think it’s helpful to unpack those. I wasn’t here.”
• Recently, Xbox has shifted towards a multi-platform release strategy, bringing various first-party titles, including some of the company’s biggest IPs such as Gears of War, to PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5. Despite the popularity of the ports, concerns have been raised about the future of Xbox’s hardware business if it lacks exclusives to attract new players.
• The discussion comes amid a broader Xbox reset, which has seen Microsoft Gaming scrapped in favor of the iconic brand, a brand-new logo, lower Game Pass prices, and more. So far, the overall response to the changes has been positive, with many fans viewing them as undoing the mistakes made by its previous leadership.