Microsoft: Preserving classic games is 'more important than ever'
The Xbox team says that preserving gaming icons and classics is important for "new and old players alike."
What you need to know
- The Xbox Twitter account recently discussed classic games and gaming icons.
- The Xbox team says that it's "more important than ever" to preserve games.
- Microsoft recently announced backward compatible games for Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Microsoft has shown a commitment to classic gaming for years. With backward compatibility spanning across multiple Xbox generations, people can play new and classic games side-by-side on the Xbox platform. The official Xbox Twitter handle recently discussed the importance of preserving gaming icons and classic games for "new and old players alike."
The tweet from Xbox is polite and doesn't call anyone out specifically, but its timing is quite convenient. While Microsoft recently announced backward compatible games for Xbox Cloud Gaming, Sony announced the end of the PlayStation 3 store and Nintendo killed off Mario, or at least the availability of Super Mario 3D All-Stars.
As time goes on, it becomes more important than ever that we ensure gaming icons and classics are preserved for new and old players alike. Whether your first time playing Morrowind is from 2002 on your Xbox or 2021 on your phone, we're excited to share these experiences with you!As time goes on, it becomes more important than ever that we ensure gaming icons and classics are preserved for new and old players alike. Whether your first time playing Morrowind is from 2002 on your Xbox or 2021 on your phone, we're excited to share these experiences with you!— Xbox (@Xbox) March 31, 2021March 31, 2021
The Xbox team's words about preserving classics aren't lip service. Xbox FPS Boost makes several older titles able to run at higher framerates on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Many of the best backward compatible games bring iconic titles to modern hardware.
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Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.
He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.
Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.
