Following circulating rumors that Microsoft would be moving away from producing physical Xbox hardware in favor of cloud gaming in the future, the company has issued a statement to confirm that this is indeed not the case – for now, anyway.
Well-known community leaker SneakerSO took to the NeoGAF forums over the weekend with some very intriguing information about Microsoft's plans for Xbox in the coming years. He reported that "the steps you would need to take in the lead up to delivering a new console gen weren't being met" at the company, going on to conclude that "the future of Xbox is software publishing" with "cloud gaming being the home of the 'Xbox platform.'"
SneakerSO then claimed that Microsoft would be "transitioning Game Pass into basically becoming the point of entry subscription for xCloud access (which will continue to drive its price tag higher btw, they aren't done there just yet either), and releasing their software on any device that has a marketplace and users willing to buy their titles," also referencing the recent Game Pass price hike that Microsoft later tried to justify.
Rumors quickly made the rounds online after SneakerSO's predictions surfaced – but Xbox stans don't need to worry just yet, apparently. Windows Central followed up on the supposed cloud gaming-shaped future in store for Xbox with its "trusted sources" from Microsoft, confirming that all the hearsay was just that – "at least for now." This was further supported by an official statement Microsoft issued to the outlet yesterday.
"We are actively investing in our future first-party consoles and devices designed, engineered, and built by Xbox," Microsoft tells Windows Central. "For more details, the community can revisit our agreement announcement with AMD." The latter half of the company's message pertains to the new "multi-year agreement" between Microsoft and AMD announced earlier this year – one that sparked hope that Xbox wouldn't give up on its consoles.
It's not surprising to hear that so many people found the rumors from SneakerSO believable, though. Former Microsoft exec and Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra himself recently said "your console is dead" to Xbox fans following news of Sony's own success with the PlayStation 5. He also spoke on the ROG Xbox Ally and urged Microsoft to "pick your lane and stick to it," writing that it was "tough to see Xbox confused about who it is and what it should be."
Here's hoping that the rumors stay just that, and Microsoft pushes on with its plans for a new console – Xbox fans, albeit seemingly less prevalent than in the earlier 2000s, are still around and kicking, after all, as are Xbox Series X games and exclusives.
Searching for something fresh to play soon? Browse through our quick rundown of the most exciting new games coming this year and beyond for more.
