Key takeaways
- The new “It's an Xbox” campaign has drawn criticism, as fans worry that the company is moving away from the console business.
- Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer says new Xbox hardware is coming, but sales of the console have stalled, with many gamers preferring PC or cloud gaming.
- A handheld Xbox device is currently in development.
Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer has responded to console gamers' criticism of the company's latest ad campaign, which calls out almost any gaming device. Xbox. Xbox fans have a lot to be excited about for the remainder of 2024 Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Coming in November, along with MachineGames Indiana Jones and the Great Circle In December.
Microsoft's recent “This is an Xbox” ad campaign has caused some controversy among fans. The ads point to laptops, smartphones, tablets, VR headsets, and other devices and label them as Xboxes due to the fact that Xbox and Game Pass are accessible on them. This has earned heavy criticism from hardcore Xbox console fans, who feel that Xbox is increasingly moving away from the console business and becoming a third-party entity. This sentiment has become more prominent since the introduction of games like Xbox Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rushand Grounded On Switch and PS5 earlier this year. Recently, Xbox confirmed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, The triple-A first-party title, from Bethesda's MachineGames, will arrive on Sony's PlayStation 5 next year.
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Speaking to Rolling Stone, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer tried to ease the worried minds of console gamers by addressing their concerns about the future of the Xbox console with the “This is an Xbox” campaign. Spencer assured fans that Xbox will “definitely do more consoles in the future,” adding that the brand's console business has stagnated, moving away from consoles as Xbox's bread and butter, compared to Xbox's growing PC and cloud numbers. Spencer also mentioned how such a change would ultimately benefit console gamers. “The console space isn't growing at all, at all. We love those customers, but in terms of continuing to expand and grow Xbox, it's about PC, it's about the cloud, and it's about making our games available in more places,” He said.
Phil Spencer responds to the “It's an Xbox” criticism
It could be said that Xbox's new focus on PC and the cloud was born out of the success of Game Pass and the stability of its console sales, but such a shift in priority could ensure that Xbox's console business never grows again. Nintendo's Switch and Sony's PlayStation 5 have also faced sales struggles recently, but both brands' reliance on their high-quality first-party games has generally been enough to keep profits high. While it's true that PC and cloud revenue streams will help fund more games for all Xbox gamers, concerns about the future of console fans are well-founded.
We will definitely do more consoles in the future…the console space isn't growing at all, at all. We love those customers, but in terms of continuing to expand and grow Xbox, it's about PC, it's about cloud, and it's about making our games available in more places.
Despite a controversial ad campaign, Phil Spencer has recently announced that Xbox is working on a handheld device that will arrive in a few years. On top of that, Xbox leadership has, on multiple occasions, mentioned future console hardware in the works. While the Xbox isn't offering a PS5 Pro-like mid-gen refresh, it certainly has new hardware on the way.
