Microsoft has launched a new marketing campaign called “This is an Xbox.” The core concept of the campaign is that Xbox is no longer a singular console, but is now closer to an ecosystem, where users can enjoy their favorite games on various platforms that fit their individual needs. While the campaign does highlight the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, various other platforms are also getting a showcase, including PC, Fire Stick, ASUS ROG Ally X, Meta Quest, and mobile. The campaign’s goal is to show gamers just how many options they have for accessing Xbox games when they have a subscription to Game Pass.
The campaign has launched with both a new trailer, as well as a quiz that can be taken on Xbox’s official website. The quiz tasks participants with answering whether each item is an Xbox. Even if the item in question is a Meta Quest or smart TV, the answer is that yes, Microsoft considers these items to be an Xbox thanks to Xbox Game Pass and Cloud gaming. However, items like a bento box, and a litter box fall into the “no” category.
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This new campaign encapsulates a lot of what we’ve been hearing from Microsoft over the last few years. While the Xbox Series X and Series S have both been struggling to find an audience, there is a perception that Microsoft can build its audience by seeking one out on various platforms. We’ve seen this strategy play out through advertising hyping up Game Pass compatibility with Amazon Fire devices, but this is a much bigger push encompassing more partners. It’s a far different strategy than we’ve seen with competitors like Nintendo and PlayStation, two companies that have been a lot more successful over the last few years.
Speaking of PlayStation and Nintendo, their devices are notably absent from the “This is an Xbox” campaign. Microsoft has thus far avoided offering Game Pass on those devices, but that hasn’t stopped the company from making an effort to build an audience on those platforms. Several high-profile Xbox games are now available to play on PS5 and Switch, including titles like Grounded and Pentiment. The decision to bring some of Microsoft’s biggest exclusives to those platforms has resulted in a lot of concern among longtime Xbox fans, who worry that the company will eventually stop making consoles, and instead focus on developing games for other platforms.
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It remains to be seen how this whole campaign will play out, and what the future holds for Xbox as a brand. Clearly, Microsoft needed to do something different to appeal to audiences, and it’s going to be interesting to see if this gets more users to check out Game Pass. Whatever the case might be, the accessibility of Xbox is one of the company’s great strengths right now, and being able to access your save data and content on multiple devices is incredibly convenient for current users. Whether that translates to more users, however, remains to be seen.
What do you think of Xbox’s current platform strategy? Do you think making Game Pass widely available is helping Microsoft? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!