Microsoft remains unable to give a clear answer on which future Xbox games will come to PS5, months after announcing its return to console exclusivity. Xbox boss Matt Booty said in a new interview that avoiding single-player titles on PS5 is "a good rule of thumb" but "not carved in stone", suggesting some story-driven games could still be ported despite Microsoft previously implying only live-service titles would cross platforms. The muddled messaging matters because it leaves both players and Microsoft's own studios uncertain about strategy, following a turbulent few months for Xbox that included the sale of Ninja Theory and significant layoffs.

Booty described exclusives such as Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution as "rewards" for Xbox owners, while insisting Microsoft has an internal "framework" for deciding which of its 20-plus billion-dollar franchises go where, though he admitted this isn't obvious to players and promised more clarity. The ambiguity was highlighted by confusion over Ninja Theory's Senua series at Summer Game Fest, later explained by the studio no longer being first-party after being sold. An anonymous source at Clockwork Revolution developer InXile told GamesRadar they hoped the policy wouldn't "put a target on our back", reflecting unease inside Xbox studios given the scale of recent job cuts.