Could Fable and Forza Be the Key to Xbox’s Survival?

The Xbox has been a big player in the world of gaming for a quarter of a century, debuting in 2001 and quickly becoming stiff competition for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. Since then, the Xbox has remained a consistent presence in the industry, even if it has waned in terms of popularity. However, that issue has become a more pronounced problem in recent years, with Microsoft Gaming’s decision to acquire several major developers failing to give the Xbox Series S/X a particular edge in the market — and has even paved the way for former exclusives to start becoming cross-platform hits.

That’s one of the reasons 2026 is such an important year for the brand. If the Xbox wants a chance to survive in gaming’s always-evolving future, then it needs to give gamers a reason to flock to its system instead of choosing something else. One of the best ways to do that is with exclusive titles, with two of the titles set to be heavily featured at the upcoming Developer Direct, poised to make the case for the Xbox in the coming year. Fable and Forza Horizon 6 are crucial to Xbox’s future, and their showing at the Developer Direct might be key to whatever fate awaits the Xbox going forward.

Why 2026’s Developer Direct Is So Important To Xbox

The Microsoft Gaming Developer Direct for 2026 has a lot riding on it, especially if the Xbox wants to bounce back from a rough year. 2025 was a tough time to be an Xbox fan, with the company struggling to match the success of rivals like Sony and Nintendo. While the PlayStation 5 has become the dominant home console, Nintendo carried on its handheld success with the Switch 2, and Valve shook the industry with the announcement of the Steam Machine, Xbox has found itself at a crossroads. Microsoft has shut down many smaller developers, cancelled promising titles, hiked the price of Game Pass, and put emphasis on their next console being less of a gaming system and more of an all-purpose entertainment device.

That last factor, coupled with Microsoft’s increasing preference to release formerly exclusive Xbox titles on competitors like the PlayStation 5, doesn’t paint a great picture of the Xbox’s future. This puts a lot of pressure on the latest Direct, as it presents a chance for Microsoft Gaming to take the spotlight, impress the industry, and catch the attention of an ever-fickle audience. This year comes with the added benefit of being the 25th anniversary of the Xbox brand, meaning fans are likely expecting something big.

So far, three games have been formally announced to be featured at the showcase: Fable, Forza Horizon 6, and Beast of Reincarnation. Each of them has its own clear strengths, but two of them also come with clear caveats: Beast of Reincarnation will also be launching for the PS5, and Forza Horizon 6 will only launch as an exclusive title. Given the success of Forza Horizon 5 on the PS5 this past year, Microsoft Gaming has already suggested that the next entry in the series will eventually make the leap as well. This leaves Fable as the big exclusive release for the Xbox brand, at least at the time of writing.

Why Exclusive Titles Matter In The Console Race

Exclusive titles for specific game consoles have long been a major selling point in the gaming market, giving players reasons to stick with one publisher over another. It’s something that has even carried into the present day, with Nintendo’s first-party games and Sony’s collaboration with developers like Insomniac leading to games that are largely only available for their respective consoles. While PC gaming has lowered those thresholds somewhat, it’s still a major selling point for stuff like the Switch 2 or the PS5.

It’s also something that has increasingly become a problem for Xbox, as more titles for the console that were once exclusive have been making the leap elsewhere. This is why Fable and Forza are so important to Xbox’s future. While they both may eventually end up elsewhere (and Forza seems fated to leap to the PS5 eventually), both of them being only available on Xbox gives the brand a very fortuitous boost in notability. The pressure is on both titles at the Developer Direct, which are expected to showcase gameplay and be impressive.

If they can entice players who’ve been drifting to other corners of the gaming industry to give Xbox another chance, it could become a vital shot in the arm for the company. The Xbox Series S/X gaining a new exclusive killer app could help keep the console going amid strong competition, and would put them on the right foot going into the next generation of consoles. On the other hand, a stumble at the Developer Direct could make the potentially big anniversary celebration feel more like a wake, and could be seen by analysts and players as a death knell for the brand. It’s putting a lot of pressure on two games that, at the end of the day, really just need to be engaging and entertaining, but the relative success or failure of the Developer Direct could be a major step in determining the fate of Xbox going forward.