Today, November 15th, Xbox celebrates its 25th anniversary. To coincide with this, Microsoft held an event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Xbox on November 12th in Redmond, where Microsoft’s headquarters are located, and Seattle, the neighboring town. In this article, I would like to share with you the details of the XBOX 25th anniversary campus visit tour held for the media.
We have already posted a report on the fan festival held at the MOPOP (Museum of Pop Culture) in Seattle, so please refer to it, but prior to that, an XBOX 25th anniversary campus tour was held at Microsoft headquarters. “XBOX representatives” gathered from all over the world, mainly from Western game media, will be reminiscing with XBOX staff in front of various treasures, including the original Xbox prototype… I was blessed with the opportunity to participate in such a truly unique event, so I would like to share my thoughts and opinions about the future of Xbox.
This article is like a memorandum from a tour, and I’ve tried to cover as many topics of interest to gamers as possible so that game fans can enjoy reading it, but there’s absolutely no up-to-date information on the most important Xbox. It’s the 25th anniversary of Xbox, so I hope you enjoy it with a generous heart.
[XBOX 25th Anniversary Campus Visit Tour]
Microsoft Redmond campus is so vast that it feels like a city
I rode the shuttle bus and moved around the campus.
Decorations commemorating the 25th anniversary could be seen everywhere in the office.
The decorations are for internal use only, and we in the media seem to be getting a peek at them.
XBOX 25th anniversary tour for XBOX personnel by XBOX
However, the more I look back on it, the more it turned out to be a truly strange event. A briefing with Xbox leaders was scheduled starting from breakfast (again, starting from breakfast), and in between the briefings, they visited various studios and R&D buildings. There, I was able to interact with dozens of people, including executives who lead Xbox, Xbox’s first-party heads, and managers from the hardware division. However, this tour was not intended to be a new announcement, but rather a pure campus tour, so it was forbidden to directly mention the names of the Xbox leaders, and the rule was that the subject must always be Xbox.
The content of the briefing was, as expected, going to the headquarters of the Xbox, so I was hoping that it would provide information about the next-generation game console Project Helix, new titles, or even touch on some kind of prototype, but that was not the case at all. There really wasn’t. Naturally, there seems to be a gag order regarding unpublished information, and no new information was provided during the briefing, and I think there were more opportunities for questions to be asked of us in the media. What kind of information is the media looking for? What kind of event would you like to have? Something like that.
What surprised me when I actually participated in the tour was that I was the only participant from APAC (Asia Pacific). Most are Western media, with North America accounting for the majority. I think this configuration clearly represents the current state of Xbox. Looking at the market size, it would not be surprising if APAC, including Japan, accounts for about half of the market. However, in reality, Xbox’s presence in APAC has declined to this extent.
And video media is overwhelmingly more popular than paper or web media. The people are of different races and ages, but what I noticed while participating in the tour was that all of them, including myself, were older Xbox players. I’ve been involved with Microsoft since the 1990s when it entered the Xbox, and I’ve been in charge of it for roughly 30 years, so I guess you could say I’m an old stock.
The participants looked at relics from 10 or 20 years ago with a nostalgic feeling, and not content with just looking at them, they started talking about their memories as if it were yesterday, which really excited the atmosphere. It made me feel like I was attending a class reunion. I went into the tour wondering if this would be just a fun interview or just talking about memories, but surprisingly, that was the case until the end, so I guess it’s okay.
[Treasures seen on the tour]
First generation XBOX prototype
Original XBOX and XBOX 25th anniversary model
Huge controller for the original Xbox
XDK (development kit) for the original Xbox
There are no new announcements, but the fun 25th anniversary tour has started
The tour started at Microsoft Studio D, which often appears on XBOX Wire as the central atrium area is also used for general meetings, as well as Mojang Studios, which works on the “Minecraft” series, Microsoft Building 87, which conducts hardware research and development, and Microsoft Building 126, which houses all of Microsoft’s archives.
First of all, in Microsoft Studio D, it was impressive to see the slogan Mr. Sharma had set up, and the party had already begun in the atrium area, where XBOX staff could be seen enjoying crane games and photo booths, without worrying about the onslaught of media. From there, they went outside and moved to another building, where a breakfast briefing was held in a conference room on the second floor of another building.
The content of the briefing was a meeting between the Xbox staff and Xbox executives, and while most of the content consisted of trivial chatter about their children’s gaming history and their love of Mario, there were moments when the atmosphere suddenly turned into a sword-fighting atmosphere, which made it quite enjoyable.
In this briefing, the author mainly talked about things surrounding Bethesda (again, I can’t say who I talked to), but it seems like “The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel” is still a long way off, and the fan event “Fallout Day” in October 2027 is highly anticipated. In terms of content, the announcement of “Fallout 5”, which is already in the pre-production stage, is likely to be the highlight, but since Washington, D.C., was chosen as the venue for the event, it is the setting for “Fallout 3,” so there are expectations for remastering, and somewhat surprisingly, due to the influence of the live-action drama, there was also a feeling that we could expect to see developments related to “Fallout: NewVegas.”
What struck me when I visited the office was that there were decorations celebrating the 25th anniversary everywhere in the office, and gifts such as T-shirts were available for the staff. Not with us the media, but with preparations to celebrate with the staff after the media has left, so who is celebrating this 25th anniversary and to whom? I think the essence of this point is hidden in plain sight. In other words, I felt that the essence of the 25th anniversary of Xbox was largely about team building.
The next studio I visited was Mojang Studios, which is located a short distance from Microsoft’s headquarters and is the division that generates the most revenue for Xbox.It’s not only the physical location, but also the slogan posted on the wall and the free-spirited office culture that gave me a sense of independence and self-respect. The Redmond office is surprisingly new and was established in 2021. Approximately 400 people work at the company, which conducts development at two locations in Stockholm and here in Redmond. Here, I was able to see the open-air meeting space and test room.
The office itself had a “Minecraft” design based on squares, with Steve and other main characters placed everywhere, a river flowing on the floor, and lava visible from the ceiling, making it an exciting space. The conference room, named the “Toy Hidden Room,” had an arcade version of “Minecraft Dungeons,” and the shelves along the wall were filled with board games, making it a fun space.
Building 87, which conducts research and development of hardware, is known as the place where successive Xboxes were created after the first generation Xbox.The studio we were guided to was a space where motion capture and tests could be performed in various situations, and we were able to see the rich variety of limited edition models that are characteristic of Xbox, as well as mock-ups of past controllers. Many of the limited edition models have not been released in Japan, so for many of them this was my first time seeing the actual machines, but I could see that the level of freedom at the level of responsibility was at the discretion of not only the materials and textures, but also the details, such as unevenness and notches, and this high degree of freedom was the fertile ground for the creation of original bodies and controllers.
An interesting piece of information surrounding controllers is that various mock-ups of the new XBOX Nano controller, a new game controller, were placed there. In addition to mocks of various sizes, we also have purposely scaled-up mocks to help 6-year-olds understand how it feels when held in their hands. In developing this Nano controller, dozens of mock-ups of the XBOX wireless controller were created, ranging from a compact version to a flat version that was almost like a plate, and repeated tests were conducted at this studio.In the end, the emphasis was placed on both ease of play and portability, and it seems that a size that could comfortably fit in a pocket was the key point. I directly asked when the XBOX Elite Wireless Controller Series 3 (Oerlikon 3) would be released, but as usual, I was successfully dodged.
I had lunch at the food hall on the MS campus. The scenery resembles an area lined with fashionable restaurants in town, and I was surprised by the extraordinary welfare benefits.
A large number of XBOX executives participated once again, and a lively discussion ensued. Although he is very guarded about unreleased information, he is quite talkative about the content, and it was impressive to hear his internal opinions on Xbox. Around this time, exchanges among the media became more active, and topics such as predictions for The Game Awards and impressions of “Grand Theft Auto VI” became lively.
By the way, the executive who sat in front of me this time was the head of a department that doesn’t usually come out publicly, but he wanted to hear the media’s honest impressions. One media outlet says that the Xbox is no longer cool and has become lame, while another criticizes the fact that the Xbox isn’t sold in stores in the first place.
I directly asked about the pricing of Project Helix and the purchase price of each part, and was told, “No comment on everything, you understand (lol)”, which was a waste of time to hear, but after a meaningful exchange as a reporter, the top management changed this year, and until Asha announced on Xbox Wire, no one in the world knew that Xbox was in such a terrible situation. Isn’t there room for improvement in information dissemination? he asked. The answer was positive, saying that Microsoft has regulations regarding information dissemination and cannot be changed by individual judgment, but that there may have been a slightly different approach for Xbox.
During the two executive meetings held in the morning and afternoon, I realized that it was actually us, the media, who were being interviewed. If it can ultimately have some positive effect on Xbox, it would be worthwhile to participate, but what will happen?
【Microsoft Food Hall】
The familiar Microsoft sign
Construction of new buildings continues.
CRAFT75 used for lunch
A security robot on the premises. It is said to be moving at night
After lunch, I went to an archive center called Microsoft Archives. All of Microsoft’s past heritage is stored here, with three unopened copies of software and basically all of the hardware left in place, as well as business documents stored in boxes in chronological order, making it possible to respond to unreasonable requests from within the company to “see notes from that time.” There were a lot of pre-digitized video tapes on the racks I was working on, and I felt that it was precisely in places like this that physical AI needed to be introduced.
Speaking of games, the first thing I saw at the entrance was a custom bike from Gears of War 3. It has an American-style design similar to a Harley, with Gatling guns installed on the left and right sides. After using it at the event, they were planning to transport it to Canada, but because the Gatling gun was too much of a weapon, they couldn’t cross the border, so it was decided to keep it here. By the way, because it was so wide, it was impossible to enter through the entrance, so they had to remodel it and reassemble it. That’s why this tour is mostly filled with memories of this kind.
I was interested in the packaging of the MS-DOS version of “Microsoft Flight Simulator,” which was released under the Microsoft Home brand in the 1990s, before the creation of Microsoft Games and Microsoft Game Studios, and the actual Microsoft SideWinder Feedback Wheel, the original racing wheel. Now that XBOX is celebrating its 25th anniversary, it’s easy to forget the existence of the gaming business before Xbox, but there was certainly a time when Microsoft had an overwhelming presence in the PC gaming field, both in terms of software and hardware. It was a shame that photography was not allowed, but I felt happy to be able to resume being an important presence.
The highlight of the archive center is the prototype of the original Xbox. This is a machined aluminum XBOX that only exists in the world, and is an extremely rare item that was displayed at the XBOX Showcase in June. It was originally displayed at the Microsoft visitor center, but when the visitor center closed, it was moved to the archive center. Next to it was an XDK (developer’s kit) for the first-generation Xbox, which had the same design as a tower PC, and I was able to actually touch and lift it by wearing the provided gloves. As someone in charge of XBOX, I also brought it as a souvenir from the underworld, but when I tried to hold it as if it were a current game console, it was so much heavier that I almost gave out.
Project Helix holds the key for the next 25 years. First of all, we look forward to rebuilding the first party and developing new IP.
So, the 25th anniversary tour had little to no effect on game fans, but I wonder how it went (sorry). I had expected that there would be no new information about Project Helix, but I wonder why they released so much information at GDC in March of this year.
In any case, there is no doubt that Project Helix’s development has been slower than expected, or to put it more accurately, it has become more complex. In terms of specifications, it’s almost certain what was announced at GDC, but when, how much, how much will be prepared, how will it be positioned, and how will it be sold? Depending on that decision, I think the Xbox could enter a new phase, or it could suddenly come to an end like the dying game consoles of the past.
Project Helix suddenly became more complex when Sharma defined it as “a great family of devices” at gamescom in August. In other words, Project Helix refers to a family of devices rather than a single game console. Until then, the game industry had been viewing the project as Project Helix vs. PS6, but it became clear that this was not the case at all.
The XBOX Nano controller may be a hint at how to think about XBOX’s future strategy. The device was suddenly announced on October 14th and went on sale on November 4th, and while it’s easy to focus on its compactness and portability, the important thing is that this controller itself is the first Xbox controller to be compatible with Cloud Connect, which connects to WiFi.
[XBOX Nano Controller]
By connecting the game controller itself to WiFi, the traditional route from controller to device to server in cloud games can be omitted, and latency can be kept low by allowing the controller itself to communicate directly with the server. This “Cloud Connect” is currently in beta testing, as has been the case with XBOX Cloud Gaming for a long time, but if things go well, it will be introduced to all XBOX wireless controllers, and the Oerlikon 3, which has been pending for a long time, will also make its long-awaited debut.
So, far from giving up on the future of cloud gaming, the combination of smart devices and the XBOX Nano controller is certainly one of the devices that will make up Sharma’s Project Helix. You could say we’re already starting to experience Project Helix through the XBOX Nano controller.
It was a little disappointing that I wasn’t able to conduct an in-depth interview in Redmond this time, but as someone in charge of Xbox, and even more so as a game fan, I believe in the future of Xbox.
To that end, the urgent need is to rebuild first-party titles and create new IP to support first-party titles. XBOX won’t be able to survive until “Halo” and “Forza Motorsport” are launched, but it will be difficult to revive it if it remains in a state of disrepair. And since these first-party titles take a long time to develop, it is essential to have new IP to support them.
This year I have the impression that the company has been talking about its vision from start to finish, but I hope to see concrete moves from 2027 onwards. We are also looking forward to the launch of new, unknown IP from the big studios that XBOX supports. Without killer content, there’s no way Project Helix will be able to launch successfully. I would like to conclude this article with the hope that 2027 will be an even more exciting year for Xbox fans than 2026. Congratulations on the 25th anniversary of Xbox.
[Seattle Fan Fest]
Held at MOPOP (Museum of Pop Culture)
The new “Fable” is expected to be a first-party revival
“Halo” is expected to make a complete comeback with numbering
Seattle landmark Space Needle also comes in Xbox color
[Congratulations on the 25th anniversary of XBOX]
