Xbox is a third party publisher and not a console maker any more Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished Nov 17, 2024, 1:00amThis is not a very good marketing campaign (Microsoft)A reader is unimpressed by Microsofts new This is an Xbox marketing campaign and insists that Xbox has already gone third party.As a company, Microsoft is worth over $3 trillion and yet for some reason they have always had terrible marketing. Maybe theyre so rich because they dont like spending money, including on talented staff, but that seems bizarre to me. So if youre wondering why Xbox always has such bad marketing (if it has any at all) its not actually specific to them, its the whole company.I say this, youve probably already guessed, because this latest marketing campaign for This is an Xbox is just mindboggling bad. It blows past I could do better than this and right through to Anyone could have done better this, to the point where you begin to wonder whether Sony paid for the ads and Xbox doesnt actually realise theyve gone up everywhere.The gist is, if you havent seen them (I assume GC will put some pics up here), that theyre showing off that you dont need to own an Xbox console in order to play Xbox games, as you can use a PC, mobile device, or a smart TV. This is despite the fact that the Xbox cloud streaming service is still only in beta and, in my experience, is not very good certainly not as good as GeForce Now.Theres no need to ask why theyre advertising all this right now because the answer is obvious: because Xbox console sales are in the toilet and its the only thing they can do. Except theyre doing it really badly. I mean, the main poster is a picture of a TV, with dotted lines around it and the phrase This is also an Xbox, by itself. Thats a hilariously clumsy sentence that only highlights how weird and confusing the whole campaign is.But beyond just the bad taglines the whole thing doesnt make any sense. Nobodys going to see these ads and suddenly sign up to Game Pass (and buy a controller) for their smart TV. Most casual and non-gamers arent going to have a clue what the adverts are even on about, especially as they dont include any obvious mention of Game Pass.If you do know what it means though the message is clear: you dont need to buy an Xbox console, you can just play the same games on other devices and save your 500. If you really know your stuff, youll also realise that this includes PlayStation 5 (Im fascinated to see if ads for Indiana Jones And The Great Circle will include mention of it also coming to PlayStation).This all happened this week, at the same time that Xbox insisted it was making a next gen console and a handheld (Im still not clear if theyre one and the same thing), while saying theres no redlines about what games can be multiformat, i.e. Halo and Gears Of War can come to PlayStation 5.I doubt Microsoft is outright lying about making new consoles, but I also doubt that their new consoles will be anything more than a sideshow. A collectors edition for hardcore fans but not something that most people will ever know about, let alone buy.Microsoft isnt going to spell out whats going on here, because it makes them look bad, but its obvious: they are, to all intents and purposes, a third party publisher now. Theyre basically just Activision Blizzard, with Bethesda and their other studios glued on the side. Sure, they might continue to sell consoles but only as an afterthought and absolutely not because thats where they make their money, in terms of hardware or software sales.Xbox is one step up from Sega at the moment, in terms of selling hardware, and Im sure theyll soon be the same, with new Xbox consoles treated like Sega mini-consoles and promotional items. Microsoft isnt going third party, they already are.In terms of battling PlayStation they failed, fair and square. They had four attempts and never made it, and the last two times were barely competitors. I dont say that with any particular glee, just as an attempt to cut through the waffle and misdirection that Microsoft keeps throwing up.In fact, Id go further and say that they may still win against PlayStation, eventually. Not as a console manufacturer but when consoles are no longer necessary and everything runs on streaming. When that happens then theyll be a contender again although I bet their marketing is still awful.By reader Logan3Are non-gamers going to know what this means? (Microsoft)The readers features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you wont need to send an email.MORE : 10 good reasons why Im getting a PS5 Pro - Readers FeatureMORE : Why are there no big name video games being released this month? - Reader's FeatureMORE : My top 10 PlayStation video games of the last 30 years Readers FeatureSign up to all the exclusive gaming content, latest releases before they're seen on the site.Privacy Policy This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.