Rumor: Microsoft Is Throwing In The Towel On Xbox Hardware Following Latest Hardships

The developing lineage for Xbox has only further soured fans that still support the platform. Despite Microsoft’s promise to deliver first for its consumers, many are angrier than ever. After the recent Xbox Game Pass changes set to roll out, morale behind Microsoft is at its lowest. And, things are still being revealed in regard to the company’s mindset. It was uncovered through a quiet announcement redeeming Xbox Game Pass is no longer available for Xbox Rewards. 

In another development, GameStop has been very vocal towards the recent decision made by Xbox leadership. In its response, it has stated to continue honoring the original pricing for Game Pass Ultimate. At the same time, the date for the new price appears to go into effect on November 4th next month. GameStop in another post on X even wrote “I’ll miss when an Xbox was an Xbox.” 

Previously, it was revealed via internal emails Microsoft almost dropped the console altogether in favor for its mobile chase. But, the decision never came to fruition. However, that conversation appears to be back at Microsoft according to one leaker. Via NeoGAF, leaker SneakersSO – who correctly foretold Xbox multiplatform plans – now says talks of a next-generation release being walked towards the chopping block.

“The ramifications of the CoD GP gambit not working out were just starting to get properly measured, but the thing that really stuck out to me was that suddenly, really concrete plans for actual MS Xbox HW went from being definitive, to up in the air, which was really startling given that this thing was meant to be out relatively soon. It was one of those situations where, despite folks being told ‘hey, we wanna pull the trigger on this in 2026’, the steps you would need to take in the lead up to delivering a new console gen weren’t being met.

“Lots of things that were ‘sure things’ started getting pushed. The Costco retailer pulling Xbox, and apparently they are one of many that we’ll learn about soon, told me all I needed to know,” the leaker explains. Already, hardware is being dismissed for stores like wholesale Costco as well as being minimized in other brick & mortar retailers. And even Bloomberg’s recent report on the major loss including Black Ops 6 in Game Pass has further fanned the flames.

“To sum it up: the future of Xbox is software publishing, with a significantly honed-in focus on profitable IPs (CoD, WoW, Minecraft, Candy Crush, Forza Horizon), Cloud gaming being the home of the ‘Xbox platform’, transititioning GamePass 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.

“Maybe some OEM thing will take up the Xbox name, but given what is clearly a collapse in favorable mindshare and faith in said brand, i’m not even sure a 3rd party OEM is gonna want to have an Xbox console by the time MS is done with their reorienting of the division,” the users concludes saying. This comes after a major partnership with AMD was revealed earlier this summer.

It was announced that both Microsoft & AMD are to collaborate in delivering proprietary hardware to users that will feed the taste for console, PC, and cloud users. Given that AMD has been working on Xbox silicon for multiple generations, it does seem unlikely to dismantle another opportunity already established. Details on the matter includes improved experiences for backwards compatibility. You can read the full report by heading here.

Are you convinced this is the end of Xbox as a console?

Source: NeoGAF