Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming platform is a subscription-based online gaming service that officially launched on September 15, 2020, specifically for Android devices as an added feature to the company’s Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
Before it launched, a trialled beta version known as Project xCloud was released in November 2019 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. Eventually, support for even more platforms and devices, including web browsers, was added, which made Xbox games more accessible than ever.
Xbox enthusiasts could now live stream a carefully handpicked selection of iconic Xbox games to various Wi-Fi/internet-connected devices without the need for a traditional Xbox console or having to download and install individual games manually onto their preferred device.
The question being asked here is, does the continued success of Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming platform hinge on exclusive games?
Let’s dive straight in to find out.
How important are exclusive titles to the success of the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform?
The majority of video games that you can play today on the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform are also available to play on other platforms and consoles, such as the PlayStation 4/5 and other PC operating systems.
However, there are also many exclusive first-party titles (developed by Xbox Game Studios) that are only playable within the Xbox ecosystem (primarily only available on Xbox consoles and PC through the Xbox app, Game Pass, and Cloud Gaming service).
Initially, there were around 100 cloud-based games to choose from, but today, thanks to frequent new releases of the latest titles and some of their much older games being added, subscribers now have access to over 400 titles.
Although having exclusive content is important for any gaming platform, the overall success of them, including Xbox Cloud Gaming, isn’t solely reliant on exclusive titles.
Having a diverse range of games (exclusive and non-exclusive), making them widely accessible across multiple devices and platforms, and offering several relatively affordable subscription plans is what helps companies become more successful.
Which exclusive games on Xbox Cloud Gaming can’t be played on PlayStation or any other devices/platforms?
If you want to play exclusive games on Xbox’s Cloud Gaming platform (i.e., ones that were either published as part of the Xbox Game Pass services or developed in-house by Microsoft or the company’s various subsidiary game development studios), some of the most iconic titles to try first are the following:
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection
- Forza Horizon 5
- Avowed
- Gears 5
- Ark II
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Others include Halo, Ori, Sea of Thieves, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, State of Decay, and Starfield. If that’s not enough to keep you going, don’t forget to check out Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl, Sunset Overdrive, and Quantum Break, to name just a few.
In which other sectors of the gaming industry are exclusive games important?
Online casino players are also drawn to join iGaming platforms offering exclusive content that can’t be found elsewhere. For example, on many of today’s safest casino sites, you can find a variety of casino games from multiple top-tier software providers and game development studios.
There are typically thousands (2,000 to 5,000 or more) computer-generated and live dealer games to choose from, and they are brought to you by somewhere in the region of 120 different companies.
Before some new games go out for general release, many of today’s most successful iGaming operators strike up deals with the software providers/game developers that make them to secure early access to those games, meaning operators have these games available exclusively before any other online casinos for perhaps two, three or four weeks before they go out for general release.
Additionally, some online casino operators have software providers develop ‘branded’ games, such as the “Gates of BetMGM” online slot from Pragmatic Play that can only be found on the BetMGM Casino.
Games like this (branded online slots) are typically only ever found on one site, or on multiple sites if the casino operator owns several iGaming platforms. These ones are typically available to play forever, not just for a limited time only like the other exclusive games mentioned above.
Final thoughts
Although the allure of exclusive games helps to naturally attract new players to gaming platforms and helps boost its overall appeal, the success of that platform, including Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming platform, doesn’t hinge on how many exclusive titles it has.
In other words, exclusive games are an important factor in helping platforms grow, but they aren’t the only factor.
