Xbox continues its push beyond consoles with new ad campaign

Microsoft has been trying to expand Xbox to multiple devices for more than five years now, and now it’s launching a marketing campaign to make it very clear that it thinks every screen is an Xbox now. A new “This is an Xbox” campaign is launching today to position the Xbox brand as a way to play games across multiple devices, instead of just an Xbox console.

“This Is an Xbox invites people to play with Xbox across multiple devices and screens,” explains Craig McNary, senior director of Xbox marketing. “It showcases the evolution of Xbox as a platform that extends across devices, with bold, iconic, fun visuals and a light-hearted tone.”

Microsoft has created a series of ads that will appear online, on digital billboards, and even on the sides of buses that are designed to make it clear that laptops, TVs, handheld gaming PCs, and even VR headsets can now be considered an Xbox.

It’s the latest step in Microsoft’s ongoing gaming strategy to reach players beyond the Xbox console — something that started with the introduction of Xbox Cloud Gaming more than six years ago.

In recent months Microsoft has been referring to this internally as “Xbox Everywhere,” as it increasingly looks at bringing more Xbox games to PlayStation, Switch, and other platforms and devices. Microsoft has also been using “no console required” messaging for its Xbox TV app for Samsung TVs and Amazon’s Fire TV sticks earlier this year.