Reaction: Xbox Might Just Be In Its Strongest Position Ever Right Now
Image: FakesForge on Twitter

Any excuse to use that image, right? But seriously, Xbox is in an incredible position right now. Microsoft is firing on (nearly) all cylinders as we enter into this Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S generation, and there's reason to believe Xbox could very easily eclipse the so-called 'glory days' of the original Xbox and Xbox 360 generations over the next few years. So, let's take a look at why Xbox is in its strongest position ever.

The most obvious and timely thing to start with is the Bethesda acquisition. Xbox boss Phil Spencer made it pretty clear the other day that Xbox intends to make the majority of Bethesda games exclusive to Xbox - or at least, any platform that will willingly support Xbox Game Pass - which is big news for those interested in The Elder Scrolls, DOOM, Wolfenstein, Starfield, the new Indiana Jones game, and much, much more. And that's not to mention the vast majority of Bethesda titles that are now available on Game Pass at no extra charge for subscribers.

And speaking of Game Pass, it's a service that has evolved so substantially in recent years that it's becoming impossible to ignore, even for those who have traditionally leaned towards Nintendo or PlayStation consoles. Combine it with Project xCloud, which Microsoft clearly intends to put a lot of focus towards over the next decade, along with the company's increased focus on PC gamers, and Xbox is slowly beginning to corner every single area of the market. The new consoles are important, but Microsoft is by no means entirely reliant on their success anymore.

Xbox Launch

Of course, this all comes down to the incredible team at Xbox and the work they've been building for years now. The likes of Xbox Game Pass and backwards compatibility are innovations that were initially revealed many years ago, but feel like they were truly meant to be ready for this generation. Forward planning is the reason why the Xbox ecosystem is in such a strong position right now, and it's ultimately the reason why Xbox was able to steer itself out of the mess that was the Xbox One launch, and completely transform itself into the brand we know and love today.

There can be no doubt; Phil Spencer has done an incredible job since taking over as the head of Xbox back in 2014, and Xbox might not even exist today without him. With Spencer at the helm, Xbox has established a new identity in which the player has become the focus rather than any specific console, and as consumers, that's fantastic news for us. The days of buying first-party games for full price are over (if we want them to be).

We could go on forever about how strong of a position Xbox is in right now, and the future looks incredibly bright. The biggest unknown at the moment is how some of Xbox Game Studios' biggest upcoming titles will fare, with the likes of Fable, Perfect Dark and Halo Infinite boasting the potential to significantly accelerate Xbox's success in the early part of this generation, so hopefully they'll live up to some extremely high expectations. For now though, we're just grateful to be Xbox fans during this very exciting time for the brand. The party's only just getting started!

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know how you feel down in the comments below.

How Are You Feeling About The Future Of Xbox Right Now?