Microsoft Launches Xbox Player Voice for Feedback, Fans Immediately Demand Return of Exclusives

Microsoft continues its push to revitalize the Xbox brand by launching a feedback platform where fans can vote on community requests. Unsurprisingly, the top-voted request is a return to exclusives.

Microsoft's multiplatform strategy may have boosted sales—Forza Horizon 5, for instance, found significant success on PlayStation 5—but it has alienated hardcore Xbox fans, some of whom want Microsoft to revert to exclusive titles.

Earlier this month, reports indicated that new Xbox boss Asha Sharma is "treading carefully" regarding exclusive games. Sharma, who replaced Phil Spencer earlier this year, has already made several changes to win back core gamers, including ending the controversial 'This is an Xbox' campaign, introducing new console features, and cutting Game Pass prices.

Perhaps most notably, Microsoft stated it will "reevaluate our approach to exclusivity," a tantalizing hint for fans who feel Xbox consoles have been devalued by the multiplatform push.

Fans have made their feelings clear on the new Xbox Player Voice platform. The top-voted thread (6,319 votes) reads: "XBOX was built off of great game exclusives, you cannot sell any consoles without a reason to buy the console compared to your competition... BRING THEM BACK PLEASE!!!" Comments echo this sentiment, with one user saying, "If you really care about Xbox, you have to bring back exclusives," and another adding, "Exclusives work for Sony and Nintendo, so why would it be different for Xbox?"

The big question is whether Microsoft can follow Sony's lead and retreat from multiplatform. Microsoft has several first-party titles slated for PS5 this year, including Forza Horizon 6 (promised for PS5) and Halo: Campaign Evolved (the start of all future Halo games coming to Sony's console). The Fable reboot is also set for a day-one PS5 release this fall.

According to The Verge's Tom Warren, Sharma is evaluating options but isn't ready to commit to major changes yet. So while hardcore fans want exclusives back, Microsoft may not agree.

Other top requests on the feedback platform include backwards compatibility, free online multiplayer, separate DLC achievement categories, a Game Pass family plan, disc support for Project Helix, and the return of Xbox avatars.

Microsoft acknowledged that not every request will become a feature, stating, "We want to be clear: this doesn’t mean every piece of feedback will turn into a feature... But better visibility helps close the gap between what you tell us and what you see happen next on XBOX."

This discussion comes as Sony shifts away from PC for narrative single-player games, keeping titles like Saros, Ghost of Yotei, Marvel's Wolverine, and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet as PS5 exclusives, while still releasing multiplatform games on PC. Perhaps Microsoft will follow suit.