Xbox CEO Asha Sharma Speaks On Return To Exclusivity

Asha Sharma may only have 60 days or so on the job as the newest CEO of Xbox, but she's already instituted some major sweeping changes, including a price reduction to Game Pass, as well as the removal of the much-maligned "This Is An Xbox" ad campaign.

Even still, one of the biggest questions about the future of Xbox is whether console exclusivity will return, something that Sharma hinted at in the hours following her promotion and has spoken at length about more recently, including confirmation of a reevaluation of approach.

In a new interview with Stephen Totilo of Game File, Sharma was asked directly about a return to exclusivity, and though she did not outright commit to a return to "Only on Xbox" titles, it appears that it's a very fluid discussion, one that the CEO wants to get "right."

In speaking with Totilo, Sharma noted that such moves are "long-swinging decisions that have decade-long impact." In other words, it's not as easy as "Only on Xbox" is back forever.

"We’ll take a data-driven approach and a strategic-driven approach, and then we’ll look at our principles, and we’ll make some calls. So we’ll share more when we’re ready," Sharma said.

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There's no timeline for a decision, per Sharma, and unlike the sweeping changes to Game Pass that were almost instantaneous, it doesn't sound like there will be an imminent update.

"I want to make the right decision, not the fastest decision," she said.

A Number Of Xbox "Exclusives" Have Already Come To PlayStation Or Are Announced For PlayStation

One of the complexities surrounding Xbox's imminent decision is the fact that, prior to Sharma taking over, a number of Xbox tent pole exclusives have either already come to PlayStation or are announced to come to the competing console.

Last year, for example, both Forza Horizon 5 and Gears of War via Gears of War: Reloaded, made their debuts on PlayStation, the former being a massive financial success to the tune of 5 million copies sold in the year since launch. A year later, Forza Horizon 6 has been greenlit to release on PlayStation, while Halo will appear on the console for the first time via the Campaign Evolved remake.

That's not all, though, as Fable, another marquee exclusive, will also come to PlayStation, and Starfield, a key title in the Bethesda acquisition, was recently released.

Which is to say, while Xbox is contemplating putting the proverbial Genie back in the bottle, some of the most marketable Xbox titles have either already released elsewhere or have been announced to do so.