Microsoft has officially killed off the Xbox One
We always knew this day would come, but to be honest, we didn't expect it to happen so soon. Even though the Xbox One has been out for a decade, we're not quite sure we're ready to say goodbye yet. Now, Microsoft has confirmed it will stop making games for the last-gen console.
First released in 2013, the Xbox One was the third entry in the Xbox family and had the immeasurable challenge of toping the success of the Xbox 360. Sandwiched between that and the Xbox Series means the Xbox One is a sometimes forgotten great, but now, it's being sent to the gaming scrapyard in the sky.
The Xbox One is dead
Click to enlargeWith the Xbox One's lengthy life cycle, we've seen goliaths like Red Dead Redemption 2, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Halo: Master Chief Collection pass through its gates. That's no more, as Xbox Studio Chief Matt Booty tells Axios that it's stopping production of titles for the system.
Simply saying, "We've moved on to Gen 9," Booty confirmed that no internal teams are working on games for the Xbox One, aside from ongoing support for the likes of Minecraft. He added that there's going to be an "expected transition" alongside Sony, for the 100 million who own older devices.
It's not all bad news, as Xbox Series games will be playable on the Xbox One via Microsoft's streaming cloud tech, with Booty stating, "That's how we're going to maintain support." As gamers struggled to get their hands on the Xbox Series and PS5, sales in their bigger brothers skyrocketed.
Time was running out for the Xbox One
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Microsoft's tactic is currently the opposite's of Sony, with the blue team promising it was going to continue making games for the PS4. We've seen a shift in the industry as of late, with the likes of Gotham Knights and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor opting for new-gen-only releases.
Hogwarts Legacy is a prime example of not letting go, with the last-gen release reportedly slowing down work on the new-gen version. Starfield is setting itself up as a Game of the Year contender, but that will also skip out on a native Xbox One release in favour of the cloud option.
Even though we understand not wanting to annexe your players, Booty has hammered home the grim realisation the next Halo and Gears won't be coming to Xbox One. The pandemic dragged out the transition between generations, and now, it's time to cut the cord.
