In 2024, Microsoft and Xbox launched a marketing campaign designed to indicate just how many things could be classified as an Xbox. The theme of the campaign was simply that – ‘This is an Xbox.’ It showed how everything from televisions to phones, and from consoles to VR headsets could be classed as an Xbox, but it unfortunately diluted the brand.
In recent hours, it has been noticed that Microsoft is silently shutting down all traces of the campaign, removing old news articles and blog posts that refer to ‘This is an Xbox’.
Maybe This Isn’t An Xbox After All
Eagle-eyed gamers (and first spotted by Game Developer) have noticed that Microsoft has started shredding all traces of the This is an Xbox marketing campaign that surfaced in 2024. It was one of the first nods to Xbox being a platform and not just a home console device, but it didn’t go down well with fans and became something of a joke amongst the wider community.
People were lifting toasters and hair-dryers and declaring them as Xbox devices… You get the picture.
Following the shock appointment of Asha Sharma as the new leader of Xbox (and the retirement of Phil Spencer), the campaign headed by Sarah Bond has been silently stripped from the internet.
Everything related to This is an Xbox is now returning 404 errors. For instance, a page that would have once led you to everything related to that tag just returns:
It was recently claimed by some that the troublesome campaign had a hand in Sarah Bond’s sudden departure, which aligned with Phil Spencer’s retirement from Xbox.
However, despite the message having been entirely removed, it still stands somewhat. In a recent GDC presentation, the Xbox team revealed that the future of the console is a multi-platform thing. It still intends to offer a broad Xbox service across PC, handheld, console, VR, and everything else associated with the Xbox label.
That’s in addition to the recent announcement of Project Helix, the next-generation Xbox unit that’s being described as a hybrid PC-console invention.
Are you surprised to see the marketing campaign deleted by Microsoft? Let us know what you’re thinking on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Too little way too late. Phil and his team ruined Xbox and they are still there look at Aaron and Matt. Asha will not and can not fix it she’s just some nepo millennial hire. Millennial Phil is all she is. They don’t get what Xbox needs to be the toxic gamer dude bro edgy console that OG Xbox logo and Y2K nostalgia but she doesn’t get that and is listening to people online which Phil did too and causes the problem listening to millennials and Gen X online which knew nothing and honestly never really liked Xbox. The Activision people would have had a better shot fixing this.