– Evidence suggests Gears of War: E-Day’s Xbox exclusivity was a last-minute decision, with reports of a PS5 port existing internally.
– A podcast posted by Xbox accidentally showed the PS5 logo on the game’s cover art, which was quickly deleted but widely captured.
– Insider Jeff Grubb claims the decision to cancel the PS5 version was made just hours before the showcase.
– Xbox VP Aaron Greenberg denies the last-minute change, citing a tight internal knowledge group and recent leadership shifts.
– The conflicting narratives point to either intentional secrecy or a rushed, disputed exclusivity strategy for the title.
While the Xbox Games Showcase made a huge statement with Gears of War: E-Day’s gameplay and positioned the title as an Xbox exclusive that will never leave the platform, many speculate that the exclusivity decision was rushed and made at the last minute. Evidence points toward a late change, with some insiders, like Jeff Grubb, reporting that a PS5 port of Gears of War: E-Day is sitting on a drive.
The Podcast Blunder and The PS5 Logo
The conversation flared up again during an episode of the Official Xbox Podcast featuring a deep dive into Gears of War: E-Day. During the podcast, viewers spotted cover art for Gears of War: E-Day featuring the PlayStation 5 logo, which was shocking given that this was broadcast on an official Xbox channel.
Viral Screenshots and Video Removal
Gamers quickly spotted this gaffe and circulated it online, and Xbox wasted no time in taking the episode off YouTube. However, people had already captured screenshots, so the evidence is out in the wild.
Among the eagle-eyed viewers were users on ResetEra and Tom Warren of The Verge, who posted about it on X, stating:
- “Microsoft changed Gears of War: E-Day to an Xbox exclusive at the last minute. If you want the ultimate proof of that, Xbox posted a podcast today and forgot to remove the PS5 logo from the E-Day art. Xbox has removed the video now.”
Greenberg’s Denial and The Internal Shift
Given the mixed messaging, Xbox’s vice president of games marketing, Aaron Greenberg, promptly responded to Tom Warren and pushed back against the narrative on X, stating:
- “Hey Tom, I can confirm this is not true. We just limited the knowledge of this news to a very small internal group. The intention was to share this news first with our players and everyone watching the showcase.”
However, when Aaron Greenberg was pressed further, he responded with:
- “A lot has changed since Asha came into the role 107 days ago. We are moving fast, and it’s frankly pretty energizing inside the hallways here. I was made aware of these exclusives roughly a month in advance. Hope that helps!”
Two Contrasting Narrative’s
There are two sides to the story. Microsoft could have deliberately kept the exclusivity announcement tightly held to reduce the possibility of leaks. On the other hand, Jeff Grubb of Giant Bomb says that the call to drop Gears of War: E-Day’s PS5 port happened just hours before the Xbox Games Showcase.
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