Last Updated on Nov 3, 2025 @ 7:18:30 AM.
Microsoft has made plenty of questionable decisions about its gaming platform, and not everyone is amused or thrilled by the latest campaigns. There is no denying that having the option to play Xbox games on the go on any compatible device is a groundbreaking feature; it does harm the brand in more ways than one.
Rather than backtracking from the “This is an Xbox” slogan, the company went all in on the latest promo. Highlighting multiple ways to get the most out of your Game Pass subscription, and reminding the gaming community that their handheld is now available.
Microsoft Is Going All In With the Latest Xbox Promo, and Fans Are Unhappy
The Xbox brand today is far from what the gaming community had hoped for, but Microsoft deserves some credit for changing the landscape. Stepping away from the traditional gaming console setup of playing games from the comfort of your couch or on a high-end monitor, the latest Xbox campaign encourages you to play on the following devices:
- Smartphones
- Tablets
- Laptops
- ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X
All of these devices are compatible with Xbox Game Pass and can be detected by Bluetooth controllers. In the most recent promo, it appears that Microsoft is digging in hard and repurposing some of the insults thrown by the player base, such as being called the Ex-Box for no longer being the platform it used to be.
With a controller in your hands, the power of Xbox is all yours: https://t.co/iRb8nazJbN pic.twitter.com/HjTdL5zgLb
— Xbox (@Xbox) November 1, 2025
To others, this seems like a tone-deaf marketing campaign that Microsoft doesn’t seem to hear. Other fans are still struggling to grasp the concept of this new Xbox campaign and how it is harming the brand.
Why are they persistent with this awful messaging? An Xbox is a console. Not everything that has gamepass or can play Microsoft games is an Xbox. They need to give this up. It’s super confusing for the casuals out there and for us hardcore we know the truth, and this ain’t it.
— Vincent (@Horror_Film_Fan) November 3, 2025
Regardless of what Microsoft’s end goal for this campaign is, it is not hitting the target as it might have hoped for. The messaging implies that any device that can run Xbox Game Pass is automatically an Xbox, which doesn’t sit right with most players.
What are your thoughts about Microsoft’s Xbox campaign and messaging about Game Pass? Let us know in the comments section below!
For more Thumb Wars news, check out Director Naoki Hamaguchi’s reason behind picking Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as his Game of the Year, and our review of Orbyss.
Rouvin Josef Quirimit is a Content Writer, an avid gamer (on his PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch), and film enthusiast. He was fortunate to grow up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was enamored by the storytelling of a shared universe full of heart and spectacle. His love for movies led him to great single-player games and he intends to cover major franchises for years to come!
