Xbox will return to releasing exclusives this summer with Gears of War: E-Day, a decision that increasingly feels like it was made hours before the news was revealed to the public. That was apparently not the case at all, though, at least according to one of Xbox’s VPs.
With less than 24 hours to go until Sunday’s Xbox Showcase, reports circulated claiming plans to release E-Day on PS5 had been scrapped. Those reports were confirmed to be true when E-Day opened the Showcase. Retailers had PS5 listings for the new Gears game in place ahead of the Showcase, with some even apologizing for giving those who planned to play E-Day on PlayStation false hope.
Xbox Removes E-Day Video Featuring PS5 Logo
Even more evidence has mounted suggesting this was a knee-jerk decision by Xbox as, in new E-Day footage posted during an official Xbox podcast, a PS5 logo is visible. Clearly, whoever edited that footage didn’t notice, but thousands of viewers did before Xbox swiftly removed the video.
Despite all of that evidence, Xbox VP has reacted to claims that E-Day’s exclusivity was locked in at the last minute, denying that’s the case. Replying to The Verge’s Tom Warren, who suggested the PS5 logo is confirmation that Xbox canceled E-Day’s PS5 version in the days before its Showcase trailer debuted, Greenberg claims he has known about the decision for the past month.
“Hey Tom, I can confirm this is not true. We just limited the knowledge of this news to a very small internal group,” Greenberg replied. When asked specifically which part of Warren’s post was not true, Greenberg clarified, “It is not true that it was a last-minute decision.”
Warren pressed further, asking Greenberg if the decision wasn’t made in the last moments before Sunday’s Showcase, then when was it made? “I was made aware of these exclusives roughly a month in advance,” Greenberg confirmed, noting that the changes at Xbox have been fast-paced since Sharma assumed the role of the platform’s CEO, but that the company feels “energized”.
A PS5 Version Of E-Day Exists, Somewhere
Whether the final call to keep E-Day on Xbox was made a day in advance or a month, it’s still not a good look that evidence of a PS5 version was still lingering right before, and even in the days after, its exclusivity was confirmed. Especially when the latter was through official marketing when you’re trying to convince your player base that you’re not making knee-jerk decisions based on what people are yelling at you on social media.
As for what Xbox exclusivity means moving forward, it’s just E-Day and Clockwork Revolution that fall under that banner for now. Xbox boss Matt Booty attempted to explain how exclusivity selection will be handled amid confusion, as there doesn’t seem to be any discernible pattern. Booty confirmed that multiplayer and live service games will continue to be available on other platforms, while other games will be judged on a case-by-case basis. That’s presumably why Hellblade follow-up Senua will release on PS5.
- Released
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October 6, 2026
- ESRB
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m
- Developer(s)
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The Coalition
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
- PC Release Date
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October 6, 2026
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
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October 6, 2026
