Microsoft tests stricter Xbox exclusivity in reported survey with Call of Duty exception
Microsoft reportedly sent an Xbox Research survey asking users about a much stricter exclusivity strategy for Xbox games, with Call of Duty as an exception.
- In the reported scenario, all Xbox-developed games would be console-exclusive to Xbox, with Call of Duty as the exception.
- Minecraft is mentioned in the questionnaire as a title that would no longer be sold on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles and would stop receiving new content updates there.
What happened
GameSpot published a report this week, citing Windows Central, saying Microsoft has sent out a survey through Xbox Research to Xbox users and possibly Xbox Insiders. The questionnaire is said to gauge how players would react to a hypothetical return to stricter console exclusivity for future Xbox games.
According to the reported questions, this is not a minor tweak, but a scenario in which all games developed by Xbox would be exclusive to Xbox consoles. Call of Duty is explicitly named as an exception. The survey is also said to include questions about where players would prefer to play exclusive content, with answer options such as an existing Xbox, a new Xbox Series X|S, a PC, or skipping the game.
The same reporting separately mentions Minecraft. In that scenario, the game would no longer be sold on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles, and those versions would no longer receive new content updates. Existing purchases would remain intact, while the PC version would reportedly stay unchanged.
The sources clearly frame the survey as market research. Microsoft has not officially confirmed this as a policy change, and the reporting stresses that a survey alone does not mean the company will actually adopt the strategy.
Timeline
2026-10-13: GameSpot publishes a report about a reported Xbox survey on exclusivity, based on Windows Central.
2026-10-13: The reporting describes a scenario where nearly all Xbox first-party games become console-exclusive, with Call of Duty as the exception.
2026-10-13: Minecraft is mentioned in the reported scenario as a game that would disappear from PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.
2026-10-14: Further reporting and circulation of the survey details reinforce that this is research, not an officially announced policy.
Background
The reported survey fits into a broader debate about Xbox's exclusivity strategy. The provided context refers to earlier comments from Xbox executive Asha Sharma about possible changes in how Xbox handles exclusives, although those remarks are not directly quoted in the available sources.
Windows Central is cited in the reporting as the source that supposedly confirmed the survey. It remains unclear how many users received the questionnaire and whether the questions focused only on consoles or also covered PC, cloud, or other services.