It looks like Microsoft has quietly pulled the plug on its unusual “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign. This change comes after some major shifts in leadership within the Xbox division.
Game Developer first noticed that the official Xbox Wire post about the campaign has disappeared. If you try to click the original link for the announcement, you’ll now just get a “page not found” error.
However, an archived version of the original post is still available. It stated that “This Is an Xbox invites people to play with Xbox across multiple devices and screens. It showcases the evolution of Xbox as a platform that extends across devices, with bold, iconic, fun visuals and a light-hearted tone.”
Started in 2024, the campaign suggested that devices like tablets, phones, Samsung Smart TVs, and Amazon Fire TV Sticks could all be considered “an Xbox.” Essentially, it promoted the idea that you didn’t need to buy an Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, or Xbox One console to play your favorite Xbox games.
According to a report from The Verge last month, this advertising campaign wasn’t popular internally at Xbox. Many employees were reportedly “offended.” The campaign was said to have been strongly pushed by former Xbox president Sarah Bond, who stepped down last week. Her resignation followed the retirement of Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer.
After Spencer retired and Bond resigned, Asha Sharma, an executive from Microsoft’s CoreAI division, took over as the new Xbox Gaming CEO. At the time, Sharma released a statement promising “the return of Xbox.” It seems that part of this “return” involves getting rid of the controversial marketing campaign. This move suggests a fresh start and a new direction for Xbox under its new leadership.
