The Deadpool and Wolverine collaboration is infuriatingly what's wrong with Xbox marketing right now

Deadpool x Wolverine controllers
People want to buy these. I want to buy these. (Image credit: Xbox)

I'm a Marvel fan, and so naturally, I'm extremely hyped about Deadpool and Wolverine. As a grown adult that's actually a teenager inside, Deadpool is one of my favorite franchises. 

Xbox has got in on the action, too, with a promotional collaboration with Marvel to tie in with the big launch of the new movie. I chose the words very carefully there, because this is, in almost every sense, a promotion of Deadpool and Wolverine, less so anything Xbox fans can really be excited for. 

And I'm pissed. I don't need an excuse to be excited about the movie (I've actually already seen it as I write this), and I don't usually need an excuse to get excited for Xbox. I love Xbox. But this hook up with Marvel is everything wrong with Xbox marketing. 

Why the hell can't we buy any of this stuff? 

A controller and console built for social engagement

Not even going to sell us a wrap for the Series X? Really?  (Image credit: Xbox)

This whole collaboration seems to have been created for little more than social media engagement. I guess that's what keeps the lights on at Microsoft these days, rather than cash money? I've even literally just seen a reel from the Xbox UK team where the presenter was holding the Deadpool controller, and didn't even mention it. 

It's like they're taunting us at this point. 

Do I want to buy an Xbox controller with magnetic butt cheeks? You bet I do, and I know I'm not alone. Would I settle for a less curvy version that was still dressed up in Deadpool red or Wolverine yellow? Of course. Again, I'm not alone. 

Xbox releases a new colorway of its controller so often I've lost count of how many there even are these days. And yet this one, even if it was limited in time or quantity, would absolutely fly off the shelves. 

I get it on one hand, everyone wants a piece of the hottest movie of the summer. Ryan Reynolds has been tapped up by Tim Hortons, Fortnite has, naturally, skins coming back into the game. Xbox wants in, but doesn't want our money? Is this social media play expected to somehow increase sales of consoles? Game Pass? What's the endgame? 

The thing we can get, but also can't buy

One of the things we can actually get...but not actually buy.  (Image credit: Windows Central)

Then there's the Deadpool and Wolverine controller holder. Great, a product us mere mortals can actually acquire! But not too hasty Fat Gandalf, there's a $130 catch called the Xbox Elite Wireless Series 2 Core controller. 

You can get the controller holder for free, but you have to buy the controller. Not the Deadpool controller, which would make way too much sense, but an expensive controller completely unrelated. So that's the play! 

You're probably detecting a lot of snark and cynicism, and you'd be right. Recently, my colleague, Jez Corden, explored the fact that it seems like Xbox doesn't really care about marketing in the EMEA region, and we all remember the lack of Hellblade 2 marketing right up until the last moments before launch. 

Oh, and naturally, the free controller holder offer is only available in the U.S. and Canada anyway. Because of course it is. The rest of the world is a pretty big place, and we all have money we'd like to spend on nice things. 

A big missed opportunity that the competition hit with

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 - Limited Edition PS5 Bundle & DualSense Wireless Controller - YouTube Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 - Limited Edition PS5 Bundle & DualSense Wireless Controller - YouTube
Watch On

PlayStation has been seen as more of a platform for Marvel fans in recent times, with their incredible Spider-Man games, and the already announced Wolverine title being made by the same team. Sony seems to get it, too. The video above shows the Spider-Man 2 edition of the PS5 and a controller people could actually buy. I almost, almost, succumbed to it myself. 

And yet Xbox has teamed up with Marvel, and we get, well, nothing. Why isn't there a wrap for the Xbox Series X? Why no controllers at all, and why on earth can't we just BUY that controller holder? I'm annoyed enough I didn't get to the cinema early enough to buy the limited stock Deadpool head popcorn buckets. 

I'm a good example of the type of person Xbox could be targeting here. I love special editions, I hit buy the moment I could on the 20th Anniversary Xbox controller, I've since sourced a pair of the anniversary shoes released in collaboration with adidas. I've got money ready and waiting, as do many others, but Xbox doesn't seem to want it, rather our clicks on their social media. It's incredibly frustrating. 

TOPICS
Richard Devine
Managing Editor - Tech, Reviews

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine

  • blamter
    Literally the only xbox controller I've wanted to buy in years (the base designs are perfect so I I only buy one if they break) and i can't. WHYYY???
    Reply
  • Arun Topez
    I don't even care for these, but I COMPLETELY AGREE with you! These controllers and skins are perfect for social buzz and movie hype which Xbox can easily cash grab on to not only sales for these, but people would also buy more Xbox consoles as well. It's like they don't even try anymore and don't even want the money. They have such a huge fanbase, and they're disappointing them just like all their other fans. Xbox used to be the only consumer-facing marketing I used to see here since Satya took over, and even that was rare. Before him, I used to at least see some Windows & Office ads, but now it's like absolutely nothing. It's clear that Microsoft doesn't even care for Xbox anymore or consumers in general. I think it's time for Microsoft to get a new CEO tbh, who understands that their corporate customers they target consist of consumers, and if they don't make their consumers love them and want to choose them first, then corporations won't always pick Microsoft first, which is why the competition such as Google, Apple, and Amazon have been able to switch so many over.
    Reply
  • JamesDax3
    Cry and complain. smdh
    Reply
  • 4rk
    Yeah that's frustrating. To answer your question it's because it's not worth it to them to sell it. It takes additional testing, and MS generally commits to a 10 year support window (even if it's support you pay for after warranty expiration) meaning parts and repair services. The regulatory hurdles for a different shape controller or holder for each regulatory region, though navigable and well understood by Microsoft, would delay the distribution untill well after the hype cycle.
    And they're saving Earth but not making additional insta-e-waste. Expect people to buy up the limited supply and unbundling the two products.
    Reply