A Microsoft official revealed the features of the company’s new strategy regarding launching Xbox games on competing platforms, after announcing the appearance of Fable on several platforms this fall, at a time when Forza Horizon 6 will be launched as a temporary exclusive for Xbox devices before it later arrives on PS5.
Craig Duncan, head of Xbox, explained in his interview with GamesRadar that Microsoft’s primary goal is to deliver its games to the largest possible number of players, noting that transferring titles such as Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 5 to PlayStation clearly contributed to expanding the user base.
However, he confirmed at the same time that some projects will still receive a temporary exclusive launch on Xbox, even with the beginning of 2026.
Duncan added that launch decisions do not depend on a fixed policy, but rather are affected by several factors, most notably the resources of the development teams and the time required to improve performance on each platform. He noted that some devices, such as the PS5’s DualSense controller, require additional modifications to take advantage of advanced vibration features, which could delay releases on certain platforms.
On the other hand, he hinted that Microsoft might keep some titles as temporary exclusives to support its services, especially Game Pass, especially in big games like Forza Horizon 6 and Fable, which are being developed by Playground Games. He stressed that the company will continue to follow the policy of “flexibility in choice,” such that priority is sometimes given to the personal computer, and other times to home gaming devices.
Despite these statements, the vision is still not completely clear to the public, especially after Microsoft launched six previously exclusive titles on PS5 in 2025. It seems that this number is likely to increase, while the question of the complete end of temporary exclusivity remains open until now.
