Microsoft Issues Statement On Why 'This Is An Xbox' Campaign Has Been Retired

So all those devices that were purported to be ‘Xboxes’—are they still Xboxes? Were they ever Xboxes? Do we have a clear statement as to what precisely constitutes an Xbox going forward?

In any case, since the short time she’s been in charge, she’s been sending positive and encouraging signals. She does seem open‑minded, and she doesn’t appear to have any preconceived ideas about Xbox’s strategy. She also seems ready to rethink things in depth, whether it’s Game Pass or the exclusivity policy.

Now I’m waiting to see how she adjusts Game Pass — that will be the real test to see whether she truly understands what players want and what’s best for Xbox overall.

Basically, they need to add a customizable subscription, and remember that Game Pass is above all a game catalog, not a bundle of services most people won’t use but will still end up paying for.

Same thing for the exclusivity strategy: they need to clearly return to timed exclusives (2 years for major first‑party franchises, 1 year for smaller first‑party titles, and keep things as they are for games that were already multiplatform before acquisitions, like COD, Doom, etc.).

Xbox marketing has the best product in the industry (Game Pass) but they never make the effort to properly explain it: most casual gamers don't know what's available, how it works, what the tiers imply, etc.

Positive, incremental changes are a good thing right now. Build brand positivity while you make the big changes behind the scenes.

Huh.

Smart move on her part. That slogan was just insanely stupid to begin with.

This is a very good move. I really liked Xbox during the 360 gen but they have fumbled everything they've done since. The "this is an xbox" campaign was an awful idea. How can you be a gaming hardware manufacturer and then tell consumers you don't need to buy our product to play our games, it's never made sense 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ Hopefully Xbox can get back to something like it used to be but I really can't see it happening unfortunately. The PS4/Xbox One gen was the one neither side could afford to lose due to the increase in digital sales and people now being reluctant to switch console because their library of games can't go with them.

@fatpunkslim Man I really hope she rethinks gamepass. I really miss having it but I’m not paying 40.00 CAD a month for it.
If she makes it affordable and a good value again, I’d be so happy.

Now they need to subsidize the Xbox Series X, drop the price to $400.00 or $450.00 just to see if they can sell some consoles. Sony raised their consoles to a ridiculous price. MS needs to take advantage of the situation.

I objectively can see that this campaign didnt work as intended but still have trouble understanding exactly why. The campaign, as described by the article, was an attempt to communicate how the Xbox ecosystem extends beyond the console.

Their strategy did not change because of the campaign, and I strongly question it having any impact on console sales. Even after its retirement, they seem to be doubling down on all the things this campaign was trying to consolidate (play anywhere, cloud gaming, etc).

Yes, sale numbers have gone down but that's not something that has been exclusive to Xbox. Sony too is struggling with that issue, the economy is simply not doing well, and hardware prices keep going up. People are opting to just play on the computers and phones they already feel they must own anyways (more reason for MS and Xbox to double down on this even if the marketing line is retired).

@Balaam_

So all those devices that were purported to be ‘Xboxes’—are they still Xboxes? Were they ever Xboxes? Do we have a clear statement as to what precisely constitutes an Xbox going forward?

They literally are renaming the Full Screen Experience in their Xbox app to Xbox Mode so they pretty much still consider a device you play Xbox games to be a part of the Xbox family ecosystem. This retirement is just them acknowledging the campaign didn't resonate, but they are 100% moving full steam ahead with everything the campaign was selling.

Small changes, dynamic themes existing on more than just the home page of the dashboard (like PS manages) and a fresh wave of back compat for classic Xbox games would be great.

But crucially, good games releasing shortly after announcements (12 months max) and capitalising on legacy franchises (Perfect Dark, Banjo!) are the changes I’d like to see.

I begin to like her. Maybe she can save the Xbox brand after all?

@fatpunkslim I actually agree, so far she’s been taking all the right decisions, the most important thing in my opinion is the return of exclusives for Xbox/PC, maybe Switch 2 but no PlayStation publishing, if Sony is doing a 180° I think Microsoft can and must do it too, but should be very clear and transparent about it, I would do away with timed exclusives entirely, because most games releasing months or years later almost never sell as well, either release it everywhere day one or be clear about a permanent exclusivity.

I’d keep all Xbox Game Studios titles exclusives and release most if not all Activision and Bethesda game on every platform, but again, messaging is key and it’s not about shutting out PS players but having more competition which is desperately needed in this market amongst today news from Sony.

That's not an Xbox; that's a TV. This isn't an Xbox; this is a cell phone. I can emulate Link to the Past on my phone; that doesn't make my phone a Super Nintendo.

While I agree with her that this slogan didn't feel like Xbox, I am extremely skeptical that what she and I think "feels like Xbox" are even remotely close. Time will tell.

@IOI On the topic of exclusives, we’re not completely aligned. We agree that this strategy needs to be strengthened — that part is clear — but going back to permanent exclusives seems unrealistic.

Also, I don’t agree with you when you say games don’t sell one or two years later. Just look at Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation: it sold extremely well even though it came out 4–5 years later, same thing for sea of thieves. Same for Starfield — pre‑orders are already very high even though the game launched almost three years ago.

What really matters is keeping the games updated, and Xbox is very good at that. They know how to support their titles over time.

Where we do agree is that whatever they choose to do, they need clarity, to avoid speculation and rumors that damage the brand