Major Xbox exclusives such as Fable 4 and Perfect Dark may be much further away from releasing than was initially believed, according to a reputable source. It's believed that Xbox is making major deals with third-party developers in order to sweeten their exclusive line-up, as first-party exclusives like Fable may not launch for several more years.
This rumor comes following another report that Xbox is in talks with Hideo Kojima to help publish his next game. Nothing has been confirmed regarding this, but it's rumored that Sony had rejected a pitch for Kojima's next game and Xbox is in discussions with the famed designer. It remains to be seen if a deal will actually be struck between the two, but it seems like there's a lot of momentum behind the conversations.
GamesIndustry.biz head Christopher Ding spoke on VGC's Off the Record podcast and noted that deals like these are being made as a way to ensure consistent exclusives are coming to Xbox. As of this year, exclusives are still a bit light for Xbox. They still have Halo Infinite, but the recently announced Perfect Dark reboot and next Fable 4 are still a ways away. It seems Microsoft is trying to find ways to pad out its line-ups, especially if they were interrupted by the pandemic. "I've had few conversations with friends at Xbox Games Studios...Everwild, Perfect Dark, Fable are so far away, as in, they might even be in a new Xbox by the time these games come out." Ding also went on to discuss the Kojima rumors, saying the talks could be due to fears by Xbox of a lack of exclusives.
A key point to mention is that Xbox has nabbed a substantial PlayStation exclusive as well, Xbox Game Pass will have MLB The Show on day one later this month. Although the game was already slated to come to Xbox all the way back in 2019, making it an Xbox Game Pass game is a massive addition to their line-up, even if it's not exclusive.
Whether or not Fable 4 or Perfect Dark are several years away or are much sooner is totally unknown, but Microsoft is playing very aggressively with its acquisitions for studios and singular games. It seems likely Microsoft will give fans a better idea of what the next year or two for Xbox looks like at E3 later this summer, which will likely include massive first and third-party titles.
Source: VGC/Youtube