Following Xbox being stuck in a complex transitional period, the “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign seems to have been canceled. Xbox has been through various eras in its long history, thriving with the Xbox 360 yet somewhat stagnating in recent years. This beloved console has sold upward of 86 million units worldwide, whilst the current Xbox Series consoles are estimating sales figures of up to 35 million units worldwide. With this generation of consoles approaching their final couple of years, various fans have wondered what caused this drop in console sales during a prime gaming market.
A general sentiment shared online attributes these falling sales to the “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign and Xbox’s overall shift away from consoles. During this generation, Xbox has put a huge focus on its Cloud Gaming, Play Anywhere, and Remote Play features. Cloud Gaming allows users to stream from Xbox servers to play games, Play Anywhere allows for games to be played on any supported device after purchase, and Remote Play enables you to stream from your console to a supported platform such as a phone. While being great and useful features in their own right, various cons have stemmed from their inclusion, and many fans attribute the decline of console sales to not needing an Xbox console to play games. Add in the criticism of Microsoft’s ROG Xbox Ally inclusion in this marketing, and the latest update with this campaign doesn’t come as a shock.
Rumor: Xbox’s Own Handheld is ‘Essentially Canceled’
A reliable source alleges that Microsoft has shelved the long-rumored in-house Xbox handheld console in favor of third-party collaborations.
The Main “This is an Xbox” Page is No Longer Accessible
Following the recent appointment of Asha Sharma as CEO of Microsoft Gaming, along with this new Xbox CEO acknowledging fan demands for console exclusives, the main page for the “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign is no longer accessible. This marketing was promised to be the next era of Xbox, with fans able to play their favorite games anywhere, although this no longer seems to be the case. What was the one surviving link, which featured news about the ROG Xbox Ally, has now also been met with the same error, with seemingly no surviving webpages and an abandoned marketing campaign. This likely spells the end for the “This is an Xbox” era, with the new CEO also bringing a new focus.
This news follows the recent rumor from an industry insider that the “This is an Xbox” campaign reportedly offended many Xbox employees. This insider also stated that many sources told him that if they didn’t follow former CEO Sarah Bond’s vision around this campaign, “they were out,” a sentiment that seems to have shifted with the change in leadership. Despite this change, the focus on Cloud Gaming and accessibility remains prevalent, with the upcoming Project Helix blurring the lines between a traditional home console and gaming PC. It seems a combination of leadership shake-up, new goals, and overall public reception has led the company to take a new approach to marketing.
No matter why this marketing campaign has seemingly been abandoned, the future is unclear for Xbox users. Now that Microsoft has revealed more details on the next-generation Xbox console, there is at least some certainty that Xbox will maintain some focus on classic console production. Thanks to the current RAM crisis, this future console has previously been reported to cost upwards of $1000, though that figure is in no way associated with Microsoft or Xbox. If this price tag is accurate, then Project Helix would certainly have to hold some incredible technical specs and performance, a feat that would likely be welcomed by various Xbox fans. Whether or not Xbox’s Project Helix meets or surpasses fan expectations is yet to be seen, yet seemingly canceling the “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign seems to have left fans with faith in Microsoft Gaming’s new CEO and direction.
- Date Founded
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April 4, 1975
- Headquarters
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Redmond, Washington, United States
- CEO
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Satya Nadella
- Subsidiaries
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activision blizzard, Microsoft Studios, Mojang Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox Game Studios
Source: Game Developer
