It's no secret, Xbox is changing. After a wild 2024 that firmly pushed Xbox towards full multiplatform territory, we're all slowly getting used to Microsoft's new vision for the brand. In theory, I don't take too much issue with change — it's inevitable some day, in some form — but one thing I'd love to see more moving forward is frequent glances in the rear-view mirror. Xbox will be 25 years old next year, and I think Microsoft needs to start celebrating that heritage a whole lot more.
For instance, this week at Pure Xbox we put together a bit of a predictions article for what we expect to see from Microsoft in 2025, and the idea of the team putting out a 'Mini' OG Xbox console was floated about - but we just couldn't commit to it as an actual prediction. We'd love to see this sort of thing — both PlayStation and Nintendo have done them in recent years — but Xbox just doesn't seem too bothered with that sort of thing right now. The brand feels a million miles away from those fantastic 20th anniversary celebrations back in 2021 (even if we might just have to be patient for the next big milestone) - and here's hoping the team does something like this for the 25th anniversary next year. We'd love to see a mini Xbox pre-loaded with some of the system's best games!
There's other opportunities out there for Team Green too. Last year, Sony dropped a huge accessory collection for PlayStation's 30th anniversary - complete with console bundles, pretty much every controller type, PS5 themes and more. Again, we got something similar with Xbox's 20th anniversary, but nowhere near as in-depth. Next time around, let's see Xbox go all out with its nostalgic celebrations on a much bigger scale, please? The seminal Xbox 360 is 20 years old this year, if Microsoft fancies throwing a party for that console in November...
It's not all about retro consoles and throwback accessories though - games are the most important bit, right? What about a new Rare Replay type collection with some big OG Xbox titles? What about that much-rumoured Marcus Fenix Collection for Gears of War as the game approaches 20 years of age? What about simply making more OG Xbox games backwards compatible - even some of Microsoft's biggest first-party titles like Halo don't work on modern consoles!
To be honest, though, Xbox embracing its past isn't really about anything specific as much as it is about looking after your loyal fanbase and rewarding it every now and then. Xbox fans have had their fair share of silliness to deal with over the years, and with a future that looks very different to what we're all used to, I'd like to see a little bit more love thrown our way in the next few years. It's okay to push forward, that's a reality, but it's also important to remember the past. There's a reason Xbox still has millions of fans out there to this day.
Do you think Xbox should to more to celebrate its history? Talk to us about this topic down below.
Comments 21
Just bring back the BC program and I'm set.
Yes they should and create Cosmo Bot to take on astrobot haha 😂
Anything 360 related i would snag in a hurry. Hope they do something for it.
I think it’s probably more likely to get anniversary stuff next year special editions etc
They shouldn't copy Super Smash Bros or Astro Bot but where is Xbox's love letter to their history and IP? Next year will be 25 years of Xbox it would be good to have a game to celebrate it with.
A Series S in Xbox 360 colours together with a green power button, please!
Most of the time anniversary editions of hardware just feel like a cash grab.
They should do more things like the heavily rumored oblivion remake.
The free doom and quake remasters/updates were first class. I have been pleased with their current path of sprinkling in old stuff with the big new releases.
I am quite the opposite sure acknowledge the past but keep it in a museum.
Embrace change, innovation and move forward instead of recycling old stuff for "fan service" money grabs.
I don’t think selling nostalgia themed consoles and controllers is remotely a priority for Xbox right now…
Unfortunately, so many amazing games trapped back in previous xbox consoles. If microbe-soft decides to save and enhance them, I am all for it.
There is a gigantic treasure lying down in the xbox library.
I think the "mini console" thing has come and gone. They needed to have done that for 20 years or earlier.
I'm not sure what'd be good to do. Maybe, as mentioned, a Rare Replay style thing with a collection of some of the real classics available digitally for cheap (say £9.99) that'd be also playable on cloud would work well.
Probably not too much effort to put together and would maybe snag some non Xbox owners to get it to play the games on their phones, laptops, etc.
I don't have a current gen Xbox but I plan on getting one down the line eventually, I got laid off recently so maybe when I finally get a new job and get back on my feet I'll grab one, but the one thing I did notice Xbox doing that I do like is how they partnered up with 3rd party companies to make the duke and the duchess even tho they are wired and with 8bitdo to make a cheaper variant of the modern controller with an exclusive M30 for Xbox. It just not be a mini console or anything but it is something Nintendo did and I wish playstation would as well, they dropped the 30th anniversary ones but they are the same classic grey as the 20th for the PS4. I'm not complaining I love the OG colour but it would be cool to get updated versions of the old playstation controllers, or at least make the old ones compatible with new hardware, at the very least at least some classic colour themes on the controllers. That's a place Xbox has them beat I even often hear people joking Xbox has more variants of it's controller than they do games for the console
Rather than microconsoles or more Duke controllers is various colors, I'd like to see AA budget development of some of the classic franchises:
None of these games need $200,000,000 budgets - just smaller teams that love the source material and want to do right by it. They don't need to be open world, or live service elements, or anything else - just give us the 2005 experience in sequel form with 40k60 and some updated gameplay. We'll get Fable and Perfect Dark for the big stuff.
With all the third party controllers or merch sure. But what other IPs won't they touch, or make a fictional cars one with no licenses that wouldn't happen.
A collection would be nice, but what games, what would they bother with. Oh the same safe IPs..... Pass.
They can expand the brand all they like but I'm still not interested in their current variety/execution like I am OG/360 era games design I prefer more & not for nostalgia.
So many IPs they could focus on but don't, no matter if smaller scale or a remaster or whatever. They don't' care. It's all about money and every platform to get it from people like Office, they don't care, so why should audiences. Xbox OG/360 games are cheap it's just picking them up.
Besides they have Xbox shampoo and other things, the Forza Motorsport car I saw in Aldi, but didn't care to buy because why would I? It's cool but hardly necessary, it's like getting a bunch of food, I'm not buying my box of Shapes for the Xbox chance to win.
We don't even have Blinx 2 on Back Compat because they are too lazy to give a game that needed a chance, a chance let alone others, the action one that is more approachable to an Xbox audience then the puzzle focus of the first one, they don't support. But like Halo 2 it killed it, why would Microsoft care/think straight 20 years later. It's not a big enough IP to care about and support, why would they do that.
Give us an arcadey PGR type one that ISN'T Forza Horizon, give us a more smaller scale one. PGR won't happen Forza is where is at and yeah the series is doing so good I have no interest in it anymore because of their direction ideas like many Sony games, turned me away from ALL their games new and old IPs, good on you developers/publishers. XD You want my money well like 1 person's money is going to change that, it doesn't obviously.
As if Forza Motorsport 8's marketing wasn't horrible, the execution of the game is what it is and I'm glad 7 was my last even for how eh 5-7 were. They were passable, 8 is not excusable and has different staff so I don't trust them.
The BC program I doubt it. They will have that for making sure Xbox One/Series games work on the next console these days, I highly doubt they want to go, yeah yeah we will offer the COD and other Activision games on the BC program or others we haven't and work out licensing we can't or even ones that are open domain if they are because why would they.
Why would any company care about back compat even if the IP is just sitting there, why bother.
Oh wait the source code is gone and they don't want to reverse engineer that takes too long.
Like the PS2/Xbox OG/GameCube era COD games on PC are getting onto Xbox PC storefronts. They just don't care, don't have the source code maybe for Xbox versions or no interest in selling them/working them out on console at all. If it weren't for that I'd say oh popularity but they are doing something with the PC versions so they clearly have some interest in doing something with them.
Even though old COD or even Pitfall Lost Expedition is a good benefit to be on there. Blur won't happen as car licenses sigh.
Give me a new Pitfall game, a metroidvania like that one or something else. You have Indy/Uncharted/Tomb Raider, make some competition, and then it will also suck because why wouldn't it.
Any OG IP is worth it but they don't care at all.
Yep just allow all Xbox disc games to be used on Series X in BC. That's it, there's the past IT JUST WORKS.
Of course, without History, there would be no Future.
Oh! That was deep 😌
They hardly make green things anymore, public servers are silent because of party chat, most of the BC games aren't even tagged probably for filtering.
Old Xbox is dead.
"we're all slowly getting used to Microsoft's new vision for the brand"
Nope. Not even on a good day. Being FORCED into Microsoft's new vision for the brand is more accurate.
Incredibly sad what Microsoft (well, honestly it's more nadella) are doing to Xbox. Infuriating and sad what Xbox is becoming. A console that essentially changed the industry is becoming a joke in the industry now.
I'd love see Shadowrun remaster (preferably remake) from 360 days. That game is without a doubt the best, most fun, most balanced first person shooter ever. Even to this day. Hands down. Full stop.
They absolutely should. If they want to add value to Game Pass making sure every first party Xbox game is playable now through backwards compatibility would be a start.
They've done more to embrace their past than Playstation ever has. Either way, insert obligatory Xbox is bad comment so I can fit in
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