Windows Central Insider
Xbox is Microsoft's gaming division. Launched in 2001 with the original Xbox console (presented by Bill Gates and The Rock, no less), the division has gone through multiple permutations on its journey to its current form. Originally envisioned as a device that could bring Windows to the living room, Xbox eventually competed more directly with PlayStation targeting core gamers.
Xbox had solid success in the United States and other English-speaking markets, buoyed by heavy hitters like Halo and Forza, alongside various heavy hitting third-party exclusive titles. Microsoft's Xbox is responsible for various gaming innovations that are now commonplace. Online live infrastructure, "games as a service" titles, subscription services, and cloud-first business models owe at least something to initiatives spearheaded by Microsoft (for better or worse).
In 2013, Microsoft's push to turn Xbox into a digital-first entertainment center saw widespread pushback from the gaming community. Despite predicting trends that are now commonplace, the way Microsoft positioned Xbox back then has seen it struggle to regain the relevance it once enjoyed as a brand in a universe of increased competition from other platforms, in addition to always-on forms of entertainment and smartphone-delivered social media algorithms.
As Xbox enters its 25th year, Microsoft is once again reinventing what Xbox is with its new approach, doubling down on Windows' openness, and returning to the original vision of Windows gaming in the living room. It'll be fun to see how it pans out.
Essential Xbox reading
Latest about Xbox
Oh boy, Xbox's chief strategist is floating the idea of in-game ads
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Xbox reaffirms its commitment to console even as it plans to "get better" at PC, mobile
Xbox While Microsoft and Xbox plan to explore other platforms, it says it needs to "shore up the platform we have," and vows it won't "move away" from consoles.
Xbox admits it is struggling to explain why players should choose its console
XBOX Xbox says exclusives are part of a bigger effort to give players a clear reason to choose its hardware and ecosystem.
Xbox CSO says memory shortages will impact Project Helix, but Microsoft will adapt
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Xbox admits it’s over‑extended and signals a major studio strategy reset
XBOX Xbox leadership admits the company became overextended and says major changes are needed to strengthen its biggest franchises.
Report: Xbox preparing major layoffs as part of its turnaround plan
XBOX Xbox has acknowledged financial challenges, and a new report suggests major layoffs could be part of the company's turnaround plans.
Looking back at 2016’s “I love you, Xbox” — and how much (and little) has changed
Flashback Looking back at the 2016 editorial that captured Xbox’s growing pains and predicted the decade ahead.
Xbox games chief Matt Booty hints Marvel's Blade could be shown later this year
Xbox Xbox CCO Matt Booty says that there wasn't room for Marvel's Blade at the Xbox Games Showcase, but notes we could still see it later in 2026.
