Exclusive news coming from Xbox President Sarah Bond reveal plans of development for the next-generation of Xbox hardware as well as the establishment of “a team dedicated to game preservation.”
The news broke during a now confirmed to be genuine internal email from Bond. The email, courtesy of Windows Central, reveals Bond’s optimism and perspective for the Xbox future.
It’s been nearly six months since we came together as an organization. Our collective achievements in that timeframe are tremendous. Everyone should feel incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved and excited about the opportunities ahead. We are moving full speed ahead on our next generation hardware, focused on delivering the biggest technological leap ever in a generation.
Bond previously revealed during the most recent Official Xbox Podcast that Xbox already has a roadmap to deliver “the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation.” This news will surely quell the recent community worries that Xbox may exit the console hardware space given the announcements and multi-platform releases of several former Xbox exclusives like Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment to the PS5 and Nintendo Switch.
No other hardware details were mentioned, although there have been reports that a mid-gen refresh and even a new all-digital Xbox Series X are in the works. Bond also revealed the formation of a team dedicated to game preservation.
We have formed a new team dedicated to game preservation, important to all of us at Xbox and the industry itself. We are building on our strong history of delivering backwards compatibility to our players, and we remain committed to bringing forward the amazing library of Xbox games for future generations of players to enjoy.
Bond did not talk about how the Xbox game preservation plan will develop alongside the company’s digital focus, which may be seemingly at odds with one another. Nonetheless, sources from The Verge claim that a June Xbox Showcase may reveal more on the future Xbox strategy, a new Gears of War and Call of Duty, and several release dates for titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Avowed. Given what Xbox has in store, it is clear that it is not ready to throw in the towel.
