'This Is An Xbox' Announcement Looks to Have Been Pulled Offline, After New Gaming Boss Asha Sharma Takes Charge

The authoritative announcement of Microsoft's "This Is An Xbox" selling run is nary longer accessible online, and appears to person been removed astatine immoderate constituent successful the past 2 weeks.

The promotional campaign, begun successful November 2024, was meant to item the quality to play Xbox games crossed a scope of devices specified arsenic Smart TVs, tablets and PC handhelds. But the thought was not good received by fans, oregon reportedly by adjacent by immoderate Xbox employees internally.

Instead, the run seemed to suggest, fans nary longer needed to bargain an Xbox console astatine each — thing Microsoft was already struggling to merchantability erstwhile compared with its console rivals. Recent years person seen Xbox income successful notable decline, with 2025 hardware figures peculiarly poor.

Now, Microsoft's blog station announcing "This Is An Xbox" to the satellite is nary more, thing initially spotted by Game Developer. Analysis of archived snapshots of the leafage by IGN shows that it had been online arsenic of March 1, but is nary longer accessible today. Accessing it present simply shows an "Oops! That leafage cannot beryllium found" message.

Another large page, wherever players could reply quiz questions to find retired "What Is An Xbox" is besides present gone, and simply redirects to Xbox.com.

The timing of the pages' disappearance is interesting, coming soon aft the caller absorption upheaval that saw Phil Spencer retire, Sarah Bond resign, and Asha Sharma named arsenic Microsoft's caller gaming boss. Reports detailing what had led to the reshuffle, and successful peculiar the abrupt exit of Sarah Bond, suggested that the "This Is An Xbox" run had been launched nether her watch, and had been unpopular among different Xbox unit members.

At the aforesaid time, the campaign's promotional videos are inactive accessible via YouTube, including its glossy run advertisement helmed by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind manager Michel Gondry. IGN has contacted Microsoft for comment.

Of course, Microsoft is besides present attempting to reassert its spot successful the console wars with aboriginal speech astir its adjacent console, codenamed Project Helix. It's hard to representation the institution wanting to proceed telling consumers they tin conscionable play Halo connected a smartphone erstwhile it is besides present actively promoting the committedness of a new, and rather apt precise premium, next-gen machine.

Yesterday, during a league astatine the Game Developer's Conference 2026 attended by IGN, Microsoft revealed aboriginal features of Project Helix and confirmed plans to nonstop alpha versions of the hardware to developers successful 2027.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social