Xbox’s new advert is sending mixed signals (Microsoft/YouTube)
Microsoft’s Gaming CEO has said there’ll be more Xbox consoles after the Xbox Series X/S, but don’t expect a mid-generation upgrade.
Xbox’s current strategy has been to expand its reach through multiplatform games and putting Xbox Game Pass on other devices, but this message has raised a lot of questions around the company’s future in the console business.
While Microsoft has been pushing Xbox Game Pass for years already, this multiplatform push has accelerated following poor sales of the Xbox Series X/S – with executives already openly discussing plans for the next generation.
If there was still doubt around Microsoft’s future in the console business though, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has reaffirmed the company has more hardware in the pipeline.
‘We’ll definitely do more consoles in the future, and other devices,’ Spencer told Rolling Stone.
While he doesn’t give any details on the distinction, ‘other devices’ is likely a reference to Xbox’s plans for a handheld console (Americans do not generally refer to handheld consoles as literal consoles) – with this quote implying that it might not directly relate to the company’s next gen plans.
In light of Sony’s PS5 Pro console, Spencer was also asked about the chances of a mid-generation upgrade for the Xbox Series X, and he implied that one isn’t on the cards.
Can the Xbox Series X be bottled into a handheld? (Microsoft)
‘We think about hardware that can create unique value for our players or creators on our platform,’ Spencer replied. ‘We don’t need to do incremental hardware for our own benefit. Does a new device really give you a unique experience on screen in some way?
‘[It’s] less like the old days, going from the original Xbox to 360; that was the standard defintion to high definition. Now, [it’s] harder to show the benefits.’
Summing up Xbox’s mission moving forward, he adds: ‘We are trying to expand, ‘What does an Xbox mean?’ I want Xbox to be something 20 years from now. I think in order for Xbox to be vibrant, be successful, it needs to be about multiple pieces of hardware.’
This message is the driving statement behind a new Xbox marketing campaign, which includes an advert showing people playing games on various devices (laptops, tablets, and phones) with the message ‘This is an Xbox’.
Microsoft is pushing this message aggressively beyond TV adverts too, with ResetEra users highlighting new Xbox posters discovered on the tube in Sydney, Australia. As well as the normal ‘This is an Xbox’ posters, there are also others that say ‘this is the door’ and ‘this is where you stand’ plastered across the walls and floor.
While you can see what Microsoft is going for, the tone comes off as slightly patronising when divorced of the context, which is only made clear in a separate poster alongside it highlighting ‘All these things are Xboxes’.
If Microsoft is committed to making more consoles, it feels odd to see adverts proudly emphasise how you don’t need an Xbox console to play its games – even if dedicated hardware moving forward is only a small part of Xbox’s overall plan.
It’s also important to note that while Spencer is saying they are committed to the console business now, it’s entirely possible things could change down the line.
Is this the future of Xbox? (Microsoft)
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