Xbox Team Dedicated to ‘Future-Proofing’ Game Libraries

Highlights

• Xbox has doubled down on its commitment to game preservation, with Xbox president Sarah Bond reiterating that it is a goal for the brand.
• A new team has been formed to keep Xbox’s vast library future-proof, ensuring games from the original Xbox to the present day are accessible for future generations.

Xbox has formed a new team to future-proof its vast library of current and old-gen games. This effort for game preservation falls in line with Xbox’s existing strategy of offering extensive backwards-compatibility on its latest consoles, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

If exclusivity is a strong aspect for PlayStation, backwards-compatibility is an area where Xbox leads by a notable margin. Unlike the PS5 which extends support up to PS4 games, the Xbox Series X|S are backwards-compatible with a plethora of older titles – some of which go all the way back to the original Xbox that came out in 2001. Now, Xbox has reiterated its commitment to preserve games for the future generations to play.

In an exciting revelation for fans, Xbox has established a dedicated unit for future-proofing its existing games and delivering backwards-compatible titles on future consoles, as per Windows Central. According to the emails received by the source, corroborated by Microsoft, Xbox President Sarah Bond shared that the new team is “dedicated to game preservation.” She added that the move follows up on the console giant’s “strong history of delivering backwards compatibility.” In addition to that, Bond also emphasized Xbox’s commitment to “bringing forward the amazing library of Xbox games for future generations of players to enjoy.”

Apart from this detail, the emails also revealed that Bond touched upon a new, more powerful mid-generation Xbox console. The Xbox chief described the forthcoming console as “the biggest technological leap ever in a generation.” Naturally, this statement adds fuel to the speculative fire that has fans anticipating at least one new console this year, that being either Xbox’s first-ever handheld or a disc-less Series X.

Further, the source mentions that Bond briefly reflected upon the latest major addition to the Game Pass library, Diablo 4. As per the emails, the dungeon crawler that landed on Game Pass on March 28 already finds Xbox as its “#1 platform.” However, no facts or figures were shared to substantiate this statement.

Why Xbox’s Support for Game Preservation Matters

As a game gets old, there is a growing chance that it may not be conveniently accessible as its target consoles get outdated and discontinued. Although such games may be officially available as part of online subscriptions, it is a fact that digital games are prone to being taken offline and being virtually wiped from existence. As a result, it becomes imperative to preserve these games to safeguard the industry’s history.

While emulators have been a life-saver for game preservation over the years, their third-party manufacturers are constantly facing an uphill battle keeping the software afloat in the face of a spree of lawsuits – case in point, Nintendo’s crackdown on Yuzu and Citra. A major industry player like Xbox coming forward to invest in making more backwards-compatible games for the future is a move that not only sits right with the fans, but has a positive impact on the industry as a whole.