Ahead of the holiday season, and presumably to help drive sign-ups to Game Pass, Microsoft has rolled out a new ad campaign called “This Is An Xbox.” The basic takeaway is that, as Microsoft has been saying for years, you don’t have to buy an Xbox to play Xbox. That’s because Xbox games are available across a variety of devices these days as part of Microsoft’s new strategy to gain marketshare. Microsoft is, of course, is in third place against PlayStation and Nintendo.
Microsoft is going big for this ad campaign, with visuals set to appear in places like San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, London, New York, and Berlin. Microsoft also commissioned a live-action trailer featuring the song “The Choice Is Yours” by Black Sheep, which is rather fitting.
Additionally, Microsoft partnered with companies like Samsung, Crocs, Porsche, and The Happy Egg for branding takeovers. The ads first display a product, say, a pair of Crocs, with the message “This is a pair of Crocs,” and the next page shows an Xbox and says, “This is an Xbox.”
Additionally, Microsoft is launching a giant billboard for “This Is An Xbox” at Times Square in New York City later this year. Beyond all that, Microsoft is selling themed merch at the Xbox Gear Shop, including a t-shirt that says “This Is Not An Xbox,” referring to the human wearing the shirt.
There is also an online quiz that asks people to identify what is and what is not an Xbox. It’s a pretty fun and silly quiz, and you can take it here.
This is a new ad campaign but the idea has been in place for years. In 2020, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said Xbox’s goal is to increase the number of people playing on Xbox, but “playing on Xbox” doesn’t mean a dedicated Xbox console. “It means somebody who is logging in and playing a part of our ecosystem, whether first-party or third-party. And it could be on an Android phone. It could be on a Switch. It could be on a PC. That’s how we think about it,” he said.
Game consoles usually do not make much money, and if they do, it’s not a lot compared to the much more lucrative games and services. This is why Microsoft is pushing Xbox Game Pass so hard. Creating more subscribers gives Microsoft a regular and recurring revenue stream.
And Microsoft is all about making money. After Xbox’s recent 2,500 layoffs, Spencer defended the cuts, saying they were necessary due to capitalism.