Microsoft is silently scrubbing 'This is an Xbox' marketing from the internet

It wasn't long ago that Microsoft rolled out "This is an Xbox" marketing to demonstrate its future vision for the Xbox brand: that every device is technically an Xbox.

The marketing campaign generated more confusion than intrigue, as Xbox fans wondered why they would ever get an actual Xbox if Xbox titles are available on every platform. Microsoft and the Xbox brand are still suffering from that brand hit today, and now we have discovered that Xbox is attempting to silently remove that marketing from the internet as Game Developer attempted to revisit the "This is Xbox" landing page on the Xbox Wire website, which is Microsoft's Xbox-focused news repository.

Game Developer discovered that the landing page only provided a 404 error message and a bland screen. Upon searching Xbox News Wire for "This is an Xbox" within its search, the only article that popped up was one regarding the ROG Xbox Ally. The removal of this press release is somewhat telling considering the recent reporting that the "This is an Xbox"marketing campaign was championed by outgoing Xbox president Sarah Bond, and was one of the reasons for her departure.

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The "This is an Xbox" campaign led to Microsoft's recent statements, in which it committed to putting console hardware at the forefront of the Xbox brand and began teasing Project Helix, the next-generation Xbox meant to be a console/PC hybrid.

Those rumors have been somewhat backed up by Microsoft announcing that Windows PC's will be getting an Xbox Mode in April, suggesting the Xbox console will receive the same treatment in reverse. This Xbox mode will provide a full-screen experience, which was first released on the ROG Ally and Ally X handhelds. The new Xbox Mode will arrive on all Windows 11 PCs in April, but it will roll out in stages.

You can still view the "This is an Xbox" article here.