Xbox One turns 10. Launched on November 22, 2013, in nearly every corner of the globe, Microsoft’s hardware has brought joy to millions of people worldwide over this past decade, and one could even argue that it’s still doing so, as the console continues to receive a vast array of current games (similar to what’s happening with PlayStation 4). But how was the Xbox One’s initial launch?
The initial steps of Microsoft’s console were quite tumultuous. Announced on May 21, 2013, in an incredible show, anyone who experienced that moment will remember it for one aspect: “TV.” The word “TV” was mentioned countless times during its presentation, to the extent that it became the central focus above the actual video games. The presentation was so disastrous that just two weeks later, during the E3 2013 conference, Microsoft completely changed its script to talk about video games instead of television.
Unfortunately for gamers, the hardware’s advantages weren’t truly emphasized. For example, the fact that the Xbox 360’s DVD bid farewell to make way for the well-known BluRay, as well as its GPU up to 10 times more powerful than the Xbox 360 thanks to AMD technology and its 1.23 TFLOPS/s of power, its 8-core AMD processor, 500 GB hard drive, or the 8 GB of DDR3 RAM.
This television-focused approach in its first show caused a lot of uproar. Phil Spencer, the current head of the Xbox division, confirmed that they failed in how they marketed the Xbox One. Even the console’s own employees couldn’t understand why everything revolved around television despite how well the console itself and its initial games had been developed. To make matters worse, there were very controversial measures, such as including Kinect as a mandatory part of every console or the most controversial of all, the one that limited access to games borrowed from friends or family. The mockery was such that even Sony dedicated a parody video that has become part of gaming history with over 20 million views.
Spencer’s arrival
At Microsoft, they were well aware that the promotion of Xbox One hadn’t been good. PlayStation 4 was garnering more buzz and impact among gamers. Just asking in stores or among analysts easily yielded that information. In fact, Microsoft announced that they had sold 3 million consoles just a month after its launch, 10 million sold a year later… and after that, silence. The company reported, in October 2015, that they would no longer provide exact console sales figures. When companies withhold figures, it’s because it’s not in their interest. It’s as simple as that. The stark difference in reception between Xbox One and PS4, launched at the same time, was radical: Sony’s console had sold 19.9 million units a year after its launch, nearly double that of Xbox One.
Those at Redmond knew that a 180-degree turn was necessary. In late March 2014, Don Mattrick, who was in charge of the Xbox division until then, left his position for Phil Spencer to take over. The arrival of the current head of Xbox was a breath of fresh air. Not only did he connect with gamers, but he also understood many of the problems that had occurred for one simple reason: Spencer was also a gamer, not just an executive. That’s why he understood the issues and needs of the console.
The excessive focus on television was set aside to concentrate on video games. Spencer removed the requirement of Kinect for all players, which lowered the console’s price and made it more accessible in stores (and also in homes since it removed it from the equation). Furthermore, while Don Mattrick didn’t believe in backward compatibility, Spencer did: over the years, he announced a wave of backward-compatible games from Xbox 360 and the original Xbox, all available for free (just insert your disc and play). This was coupled with the arrival of high-quality developments and a strategy now well-known to all: acquiring major studios to have their own productions. Gradually, Microsoft began acquiring studios like Ninja Theory or Double Fine to become part of Xbox.
Towards the end of February 2017, another significant change for Xbox in the last decade was announced: the arrival of Xbox Game Pass. The company introduced a subscription service akin to Netflix or HBO: users paid a monthly fee and gained access to an extensive catalog of games. Moreover, many titles were included on their launch day, allowing users to enjoy high-quality releases if they were subscribed to Game Pass.
Currently, Microsoft has made it clear that Xbox Game Pass is the cornerstone of its entire business strategy. Is selling consoles important? The answer is “yes,” but having subscriptions to Game Pass is even more crucial (with nearly 30 million subscribers already). Beyond their in-house productions, Xbox is also securing temporary deals for titles from other companies to appear on Game Pass on Day 1. This includes the Like a Dragon (Yakuza) series, for instance, along with other major developments seen over these almost 7 years of Xbox Game Pass.
A better ending than it appears”
Although one might think that Xbox One has been a commercial failure, the reality is that Microsoft’s console has performed quite well. We’ve never had official data, but in an ID@Xbox presentation in June 2023, we learned that the combined figure for Xbox Series X | S and Xbox One reached 79 million consoles sold, with 21 million for Series X | S. Therefore, by a simple subtraction, we know that Xbox One has sold more than 58 million consoles, a figure that is unlikely to grow significantly since the console is already discontinued in its manufacturing (although it can still be purchased).
Not many consoles can boast nearly 60 million units in consumers’ homes, despite all the problems faced during their initial years. For instance, the original Xbox stopped at “only” 24 million units, while the Xbox 360, the company’s greatest success, gathered 86 million.
Putting Microsoft’s achievement into perspective, Xbox One has outsold very beloved and iconic consoles like the Super Nintendo (49 million) or the Mega Drive (almost 40 million). However, when compared to the 118 million units of its market rival, the PS4, it’s clear that its figure pales in comparison. Nevertheless, it will be remembered as hardware that started off on the wrong foot but closed its chapter on a high note.
