Sarah Bond has set up a new team dedicated to game preservation and forward compatibility

[John Elden Ring]

• Per emails received by Windows Central, confirmed by Microsoft as genuine, Xbox President Sarah Bond recently briefed her team on a wide range of topics.
• In the emails, Sarah Bond reiterated Microsoft's plans to build new Xbox hardware focused on delivering "the biggest technical leap ever in a generation."
• Sarah Bond also revealed that Microsoft has set up a dedicated team for future proofing our digital Xbox game libraries across future hardware paradigms to further "build on [Xbox's] strong history of delivering backward compatibility."
• Additionally, it was revealed that Xbox has become Diablo 4's biggest platform, since the game's inclusion into Xbox Game Pass.

The complexity of the Xbox business is doubtless a huge challenge, but there are similarly huge opportunities ahead of the firm. To that end, Sarah Bond recently sent out an email to rally her troops, while also sharing some interesting bits of news in the process. Microsoft has confirmed to us that the correspondence is genuine.

"It’s been nearly six months since we came together as an organization. Our collective achievements in that timeframe are tremendous. Everyone should feel incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved and excited about the opportunities ahead," Sarah said, "We are moving full speed ahead on our next generation hardware, focused on delivering the biggest technological leap ever in a generation."
Sarah also touched upon Microsoft's innovations in gaming AI, understood to be a big part of Microsoft's vision for the future of Xbox. We were recently told that departing XEmTech lead and AI innovator Kareem Choudhry was known within the org for putting players and developers first, and it seems that influence will continue driving Microsoft's thought processes on the tech, "We are innovating in Gaming AI, focused on delivering player-first, developer-first value for discovery, engagement, and creator velocity."


Further in, Sarah describes how Microsoft is continuing its work to integrate Activision-Blizzard games and Battle.net into Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass. Microsoft brought Diablo 4 to Xbox Game Pass a short while ago, in collaboration with the Microsoft Store platform team over on the Windows side. Bond revealed that as a result of Diablo hitting Game Pass, Xbox has now become the #1 platform for the game. "We are integrating Activision Blizzard King titles into our services — we launched Diablo IV into Game Pass and Xbox has quickly become the #1 platform for D4 players," Bond reiterated some of the other games on the horizon for Xbox, "we are integrating with Battle.net, all while launching CoD: Warzone Mobile and preparing for the upcoming Hellblade II, Avowed, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle."

Source

 

[Johnic]

Lol

How about putting the entire game on the disc first? More PR. If they spend a fraction of the effort that they put into PR/astroturfing, into actual game development, maybe they wouldn't be dead now.

 

[shrike0fth0rns]

• Per emails received by Windows Central, confirmed by Microsoft as genuine, Xbox President Sarah Bond recently briefed her team on a wide range of topics.
• In the emails, Sarah Bond reiterated Microsoft's plans to build new Xbox hardware focused on delivering "the biggest technical leap ever in a generation."
• Sarah Bond also revealed that Microsoft has set up a dedicated team for future proofing our digital Xbox game libraries across future hardware paradigms to further "build on [Xbox's] strong history of delivering backward compatibility."
• Additionally, it was revealed that Xbox has become Diablo 4's biggest platform, since the game's inclusion into Xbox Game Pass.

Source

XBox entire business model is anti-preservation

 

[Nhomnhom]

Every Xbox game is already on PC, who cares?

Release the 360 emulator for PC if you mean it, kill Xbox for good, help the planet.

 

[Cool hand luke]

• Per emails received by Windows Central, confirmed by Microsoft as genuine, Xbox President Sarah Bond recently briefed her team on a wide range of topics.

Biggest lmao moment for me: the emails spoken of were probably forwarded by Jez's handlers to Jez directly.

 

[Nhomnhom]

Biggest lmao moment for me: the emails spoken of were probably forwarded by Jez's handlers to Jez directly.

This is probably them trying to change the narrative from their recent internal push for DEI and censorship in games.

 

[Sunrise Ninja]

This is probably them trying to change the narrative from their recent internal push for DEI and censorship in games.

But it won't work, more garbage PR and always from the same outlets. Its amazing that they think their PR somehow equals good games

 

[Nhomnhom]

But it won't work, more garbage PR and always from the same outlets. Its amazing that they think their PR somehow equals good games

It always work to a certain degree, that is pretty much what keeps them handing around. If the gaming press and coverage was made in a honest way Xbox would have died long ago.

 

[Sunrise Ninja]

It always work to a certain degree, that is pretty much what keeps them handing around. If the gaming press and coverage was made in a honest way Xbox would have died long ago.

The problem is just like the mainstream media the gaming the media are now losing all credibility because they're not being honest in their reporting and people are starting to notice. Xbox is basically dead but the money Microsoft are pumping into the gaming media is the only reason why they're still talked about in a "positive light".

 

[Nhomnhom]

The problem is just like the mainstream media the gaming the media are now losing all credibility because they're not being honest in their reporting and people are starting to notice. Xbox is basically dead but the money Microsoft are pumping into the gaming media is the only reason why they're still talked about in a "positive light".

Even Sony themselves buy into the media narrative all the time, propaganda works well (even if it's not enough to save a shitty product like Xbox).

Sony was pretty much bullied into crossplay, services, anti-exclusive/anti-console policies, etc, over the years due to public perception.

Even failed mainstream media sort of fulfilled it's purpose of sowing distrust and gas lighting/demoralizing people. For some years now it has been clear that they had goals beyond just making money. The gaming media has followed a very similar path, it has been all about bullshiting and keeping gamers from looking out for their own self interests.

 

[Yurinka]

future proofing our digital Xbox game libraries across future hardware paradigms to further "build on [Xbox's] strong history of delivering backward compatibility."

I assume this means they want to have a single multiplatform gaming storefront that would work on Windows (including the next gen 3rd party built Xbox "Steam Machines"-like home and portable consoles), cloud and mobile.

It would merge and unify the previous Xbox stores (console+pc), battle.net, Windows Store, etc. and also your library, achievements and friendlists there including playable versions (via emulator for older consoles) of all the games you bought there.

Makes sense they want to keep it, since it's their main asset after their IPs and the main reason a current or past fan would prefer that storefront/platform over other ones.

 

[Shadow2027]

Lol diablo is biggest on xbox now? They lump pc numbers into it and yeah putting it on gamepass will do that. Also helps when no one on xbox bought it and now that its there, all of them jumped in.

 

[Nhomnhom]

Lol diablo is biggest on xbox now? They lump pc numbers into it and yeah putting it on gamepass will do that. Also helps when no one on xbox bought it and now that its there, all of them jumped in.

If anything it just shows the unhealthy state of Diablo 4 player base.

 

[panda-zebra]

Biggest lmao moment for me: the emails spoken of were probably forwarded by Jez's handlers to Jez directly.

Big coincidence Jez tweets his xbox dooming is over the same days he receives iNSidEr gossip for an exclusive article...

Lapdog.

 

[Umar]

 

[Vertigo]

No way Diablo is biggest on Xbox. It’s currently ranked 36 on xbl weekly engagement.

Receipts:

Most played games - Microsoft Store

Most played games – Shop these 49 items and explore Microsoft Store for great apps, games, laptops, PCs, and other devices.

www.microsoft.com

If that is true however…. That means Diablo 4 is a ginormous failure.

 

[anonpuffs]

They'll need that department when there's no more xbox in 10 years, except in a museum

 

[Sloane_Ranger]

Please subscribe to our game’s preservation library! You can access older games for a low price of $69.99 a year!

 

[quest4441]

Looks like the games that they are making are not looking too hot, BC and game preservation was the buzzword back in 2016 as well. Looks like indiana jones will be this generations crackdown 3

 

[JAHGamer]