He gave only a couple of clues: all four are community-driven, more than one year old, and they do not include recent releases Starfield or Indiana Jones.

This feels like a big change of gear for Microsoft, which has long favored exclusivity to its own Xbox platform and Games Pass subscription service.

So what's behind the shift and what does it tell us about the future of gaming?

Let's start with a 12-year-old I know - my son.

He loves Minecraft and plays it wherever he can. On his phone, on his tablet, on our PlayStation, on his dad's Xbox. He watches Minecraft videos on YouTube and he uses an unofficial app to create and share skins and mods.

He doesn't care who owns the game (Microsoft bought the Mojang studio in 2014) and he has no brand loyalty to a particular device - his favorite is whichever one is to hand.

This is what the game giants are up against a generation of young gamers who don't buy into their hype.

It appears that Microsoft is starting, very cautiously, to respond to that.

Last night Mr Spencer insisted the four latest games did not signify a fundamental change in the firm's games strategy.

But then he added: "I have a fundamental belief that in the next five to 10 years, exclusive games, which are exclusive to one piece of hardware, are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the games industry."