Xbox Series S Lockhart codename hidden meaning revealed

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Aaron Greenberg, the general manager of Xbox Games marketing at Microsoft, has revealed the reasoning behind the Lockhart codename given to the Xbox Series S. 

In a response on Twitter, Greenberg explained that many code names come from cities, and that Lockhart was inspired by a city of the same name in Texas.

"We often use cities as codenames, in this case it comes from Lockhart, Texas. They are known as "The Little City with the big heart". 

See more

The name seems very fitting given the recent official reveal of the cheaper next-gen console model. In comparison to the bigger Xbox Series X which has a vertically upright design, the all-digital Xbox Series S is considerably smaller in size - 60% smaller in fact - and while it's not quite powerful as its Series X counterpart and won't have 4K support or a disc drive, it's still packing some very similar next-gen tech.

Interestingly, the codename Xbox Edinburgh surfaced recently in Microsoft's Game Development Kit and  Windows OS libraries. The codename appeared underneath Anaconda, which was the initial codename for the Xbox Series X. We still don't know what this is in relation to, but certainly seems to go in line with the city naming convention of the codenames that Greenberg mentions.  

The Xbox Series S is essentially like a little city that houses a big heart of next-gen specs if you think about it. While codenames, of course, serve to keep consoles under wraps ahead of official announcements, it's neat to learn that there was quite a bit of thought behind the choice of Lockhart and that it actually has a very apt meaning to it. 

Want to know more about the differences between the two consoles? Check out our rundown of the Xbox Series X vs Xbox Series S

Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at GamesRadar+. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.