Gears 5 launched to a mostly positive reception, receiving warm accolades from critics across the board. However, when it did launch, it was hit with one major snafu: Xbox Live went down. No one ever stepped forward and explained the reason for the outage, but many believe that it was due to the launch of this Xbox one exclusive on Game Pass alongside the launches of NBA 2K20 and Monster Hunter World Iceborne. Of course, this wasn't a good look, but it is a good problem to have, a problem that should actually shape how Microsoft moves forward with Xbox exclusive titles.
Assuming that the aforementioned explanation was the actual cause of the outage, that means Gears 5 was downloaded. A lot. It's a lesson to be learned from, but by having this game so easily available, many would who have skipped out on the standard $60 price tag may have found themselves coming back. After all, an exclusive title is usually (but not always) a must-have for any fan of that particular platform, and Microsoft is practically give its exclusives away.
This will likely be the case when The Outer Worlds launches in October, though it's worth mentioning that it's not an Xbox exclusive. Microsoft has talked about sequels to the original being so, but because of commitments made by Obsidian Entertainment before its acquisition, The Outer Worlds will also launch on PC and PS4. The big difference, which will be appealing to many, is that the Xbox version comes with the Game Pass subscription, whereas PS4 players will need to purchase the title for full price. This may likely result in many who own both consoles and have a Game Pass subscription picking it up on Xbox over their preferred PlayStation console.
On top of this is the fact that sales were technically bad, but despite this, Gears 5 bolstered over 3 million players in its opening weekend. The simple reason for the sales being down is that those players were getting the title through Game Pass, so it was obtained via subscription instead of direct purchase. In other words, the fact that sales were bad is good for Microsoft and Game Pass.
Launching these titles on Xbox Game Pass is clearly part of Microsoft's plan, as its acquisitions will see more Xbox exclusives coming to the subscription service, but the reasons Gears 5 should shape future releases shouldn't end there. After all, Crackdown 3 also launched on the Game Pass service but was ultimately considered a flop by many, so it's not a end-all be-all approach to improving the argument for Xbox's exclusives.
Simply put, Gears 5 was an excellent entry in the franchise and pushes Xbox now to continue to live up to that quality - for all. It's worth mentioning that Gears 5 received a perfect score for its deaf accessibility options for having solid, descriptive subtitles, and a ton of visual cues. The Coalition also made sure to have support for Microsoft's adaptive controller, meaning those from all walks of life could get in on the fun.
Down the road, it won't be surprising to hear future Xbox exclusives compared to Gears 5, but that doesn't mean every single one will live up to the same quality. There will be some many think are better than Gears 5, as well as some that many think are worse, but as long as it continues to deliver on this formula, this could also be seen as an initiating moment that turns the tide for Xbox exclusives moving into next-gen consoles. It's unclear what will be revealed in the coming years, but fans holding out for Sunset Overdrive 2 should probably let that one go, for sure.
On that topic, the key to Gears 5's success is letting go of the past, as moving away from some of the core details and aspects thus far played a significant role in bettering the title. Sure, there were some elements that could still be improved upon, but for a franchise that has seemingly stayed in place while the world moved by, this change brought it back to the fore. The same philosophy applies to Microsoft.
It's no secret that, in the never-ending console war of opinions, that Sony's PlayStation 4 console is the preferred machine. But the playing field moving into next generation consoles, and more specifically, next generation exclusives is not the same as 2013. Because of this, there are a variety of reasons that could affect which console reigns supreme next generation such as increased external competition from Nintendo and Google, but with the course that it's own now, Xbox exclusives may not be on the con side of the decision board for next-generation console shoppers.
Gears 5 is available now on PC and Xbox One.