Imagine the next Fallout, the next Elder Scrolls and the next DOOM arriving only on Xbox and PC. Then imagine Minecraft disappearing from the PlayStation and Nintendo stores. Microsoft is asking players how they would feel about that.
Xbox is reportedly gauging how its audience would respond if it went back to a broad exclusivity strategy. Some members of the Xbox Insider program were shown a questionnaire describing scenarios in which well-known games launch only on Xbox and PC.
Specific franchises are on the table
The survey isn’t a loose check on general sentiment. It names particular franchises, including Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, DOOM and Diablo. Minecraft is also on the list.
In one scenario, participants are asked to picture every future game from Xbox’s studios releasing only on Xbox and PC. There is a single exception, and it’s the obvious one: Call of Duty.
The Minecraft scenario goes a step further. It suggests removing the game from sale on PlayStation and Nintendo, and ending new content updates for the versions players already have on those platforms.
The responses Microsoft is looking for
Each hypothetical comes with a short list of answers. Players can say they would play on an Xbox console they already own, buy a new one, switch to PC, or skip the game entirely.
It’s a blunt way to find out whether exclusives would sell hardware or just drive players away. Companies tend to ask questions like this when they’re weighing a decision, even if they haven’t made one yet.
A user shared screenshots of the survey, and they have been confirmed as authentic.
No change has been announced
Xbox has not announced any change to its release policy so far. A survey is not a strategy, and Insider questionnaires are there to test ideas that may never happen.
Still, someone at Microsoft wrote a question asking players what they would do if Minecraft were no longer sold on a Switch. That alone is worth thinking about.