Microsoft considers making Fallout, Elder Scrolls, and Minecraft exclusive to Xbox.

Under the leadership of new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, Microsoft’s gaming division is undergoing significant transformations. This includes laying off thousands of employees, reorganizing and divesting from certain studios, and making select titles, like Gears of War: E-Day, exclusive to Xbox consoles. Recent reports suggest that Xbox is considering further exclusivity measures, potentially restricting franchises such as Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and even Minecraft to Microsoft platforms only.

While these proposed changes may seem drastic and could ultimately be just ideas, Xbox is gauging interest among its core audience through a new survey.

The survey has been sent to a group of Xbox users participating in the Insider Program, asking them where they would choose to buy future games in the Fallout, Elder Scrolls, and Minecraft series if they were no longer available on PlayStation or Nintendo systems.

One of the survey questions presents a scenario where all future Fallout titles become exclusive to Xbox, stating that existing games would still be available on their current platforms and that nothing would change for PC users. Respondents are then asked where they would most likely play this new exclusive content.

Another question explores a future where all Xbox-developed franchises, except for Call of Duty, become console-exclusive to Xbox, including Minecraft. Currently, Minecraft is accessible on various platforms, including competing consoles like the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 and 5, as well as non-Microsoft systems like Android, iOS, Linux, and Mac.

Call of Duty is expected to remain multiplatform due to a 10-year agreement Microsoft signed with Nintendo, Nvidia, and Sony in 2023, which was part of the regulatory approval process for its $68 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. This agreement ensures that only Call of Duty will stay available across multiple platforms, not every franchise under Activision Blizzard.

If Xbox proceeds with these exclusivity plans, it could significantly affect the sales of anticipated titles like The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5. Bethesda Softworks has traditionally supported multiple platforms for its major franchises, with games like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim being released on a wide array of systems, including a recent port for the Switch 2.

In April, Xbox’s chief content officer Matt Booty and CEO Asha Sharma informed employees that the new leadership would reassess Xbox’s strategy regarding exclusivity, windowing, and AI. Following the announcement that the timed-exclusive Forza Horizon 6 won’t be available on PlayStation 5 until 2027, along with the formation of a special projects group called Xbox Labs focused on AI, Booty and Sharma are clearly committed to this new direction.

However, reversing these changes entirely may prove to be a challenge.