Cindy Walker, the director of the marketing department of Xbox, confirmed in the past few days that the production of Xbox One was discontinued in 2020 to allow Microsoft to focus on its next-generation consoles. We therefore take this opportunity to retrace the history of Xbox One, a gaming machine that has accompanied us throughout the last generation.
The history of Xbox One
Released in 2013, Xbox One was configured as a less powerful console than its Japanese competitor, but with features far ahead of its time, but which unfortunately the market was not yet ready to receive with such intensity. One example was the idea ofAlways Online, definitely ahead of its time, then quickly shelved also due to the low diffusion of broadband.
But one of the more unfortunate choices Microsoft made Xbox One was certainly to tie the console to the new generation of Kinect, which has not only been seen as a superfluous component by many players, but also comes with the price of the package. Not to mention the architecture on which the console was based, anachronistic compared to PS4, which immediately discouraged some buyers.
Despite these limitations, Xbox One records equally good numbers at launch, and during the weeks just after launch, new Xbox boss Phil Spencer continues to work behind the scenes and, following the launch lineup that included the likes of Rice: Son of Rome by Crytek, Forza Motorsport 5 by Turn10 Studios e Dead Rising 3 Capcom executive announces compatibility with DirectX 12 libraries.
This function was designed to best transpose the titles from PC to Xbox One and vice versa, an important step for Spencer’s strategy, which however will remain unknown for a long time to come. Meanwhile, during E3 the following year, some very important games are announced, just think of Forza Horizon 2 e Ori and the Blind Forest, titles that have left their mark on history.
Here comes the backwards compatibility
It is in 2015 that Phil Spencer’s strategy begins to become clearer, when the boss announces that Xbox One would be compatible with the titles of Xbox 360. Together with this new feature that will later become one of the hallmarks of the playful offer of Microsoft, the companion does not even skimp on the announcements of the upcoming titles, with several productions on the horizon.
To be clear, it was the year in which it was announced Halo 5 Guardians, Forza Motorsport 6 e Rise of the Tomb Raider, not to mention the small appearance of Sea of Thieves. Nonetheless, Xbox One continues to lag behind in terms of sales, especially in Asian markets, where the machine can be considered a real flop.
The following year, 2016, finally sees the definitive unification of the Xbox ecosystem with the architecture of Windows, with the advent of very interesting features, such as the possibility share saves via the cloud and instantly unlock the game on the other platform. What fans were starting to really feel the need for though were major exclusives, but Spencer’s plans went in another direction.
And that direction was called Xbox One X e Xbox Game Pass. Between the most powerful console ever launched on the market up to that moment and what was soon called the Netflix of video games, Microsoft was creating a niche in which to slip comfortably, even if the announcement is not positively received, even in the face of cancellation. of the highly anticipated Scalebound.
2018: the year of Xbox
Five years after the launch of the Xbox One, the console is finally ready to get back on the crest of the wave, with the announcement that every console exclusive will be made available at launch with the Game Pass offer, starting from the then very expected Sea of Thieves. The most interesting part is that Microsoft has deliberately avoided increasing the price of the service, in order to attract even more onlookers.
Also in 2018, during Microsoft announces the acquisition of several major development studios such as Playground Games, Undead Labs, Ninja Theory e Compulsion Games, along with Halo Infinite and Gears 5. But it doesn’t stop there, because in 2018 Xboxo sees it pass by its too Obsidian Entertainment e inXile Entertainment.
We know the rest well, given that in 2020 the Redmond house launches its new generation of consoles, thanks to what it has learned during the years of redemption, and in fact there is little that can be complained about. Xbox Series X|S, from the exclusives to the choice of making the Xbox Game Pass service one of the best subscriptions ever seen on the market.
With the history of Xbox One now at an end and that of Xbox Series X | S just begun, all that remains is to wait for what the future holds.