Do you remember where you were when you played your first Xbox game?
It may be hard to believe, but this year will be the 20th Xbox anniversary. I’m proud to have been a member of Team Xbox for 17 of these 20 years! The original Xbox console was released in North America on November 15, 2001, followed by many more launches around the world including Japan, Australia, Europe, Latin America, China, and more!
Twenty years ago, playing on Xbox meant you had to connect your console to a standard definition CRT TV with three (or more!) Cables. You had to pre-order the hottest new games and line up at your favorite store to pick them up. Games were played at 640 × 480 resolution, and you only had 8GB of storage and 64MB of storage to enjoy. And you either played alone or with a friend sitting next to you on the couch.
Two decades of gaming
Today’s Xbox experience as designed by you is completely different. You can now on your Xbox Series X | S console (imagine showing your former self a 4K HDR game!) Jump into your favorite games on PC or mobile *. You and your friends can play with and against the 100+ million players who sign up for Xbox from around the world each month. And there is no longer any conviction that every person in the group is buying a big game. If you all have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you can choose the destination from a variety of games in the catalog and just start playing. We love this future of gaming.
Thanks to game developers and gamers like you, we’ve got more games and characters to choose from across the 7,000 games released – with more worlds to explore, stories to tell, heroes and villains to meet, and achievements to unlock on the Xbox platform. Do you remember unlocking your first Xbox achievement? To date, you and the Xbox community have accumulated nearly 1 trillion gamerscore combined. Most importantly, you’ve worked together to change the face of gaming by welcoming players from all walks of life around the world.
The game that started it all
This year not only commemorates 20 years of Xbox, but also the 20th anniversary of the Halo franchise. That magical moment, when the Master Chief first stepped into a mysterious world of the ring, has long been a hallmark of the Xbox experience, and for the past 20 years, Halo has been ingrained in Xbox DNA. We are excited to celebrate this milestone as well as the start of Halo Infinite, with our players this fall.
Party together
As we near the 20 year mark, it has never been more clear that you are the heart of Xbox. And we look forward to celebrating this milestone together.
The celebration starts today and lasts until November 15, 2021.
- # Xbox20: This celebration is all about you and we want to hear what Xbox means to you. Use # Xbox20 on social media to share your favorite Xbox moments, stories, friendships, treasured possessions, achievements … anything! We’ll be asking lots of questions on Xbox social channels, and we’ll have your answers highlighted by November 15th. So keep an eye out.
- Try this out Xbox Gear Shop for the first wave of Xbox 20th Official anniversary equipment.
- Show your Xbox and Halo love with free Anniversary wallpapers.
- Register for today Xbox FanFest participate in 20th Anniversary FanFest activities, including exclusive sweepstakes, FanFest equipment and digital experiences.
- Personalize your Xbox experience: Check out the new 20 Years Gamerpic and the “The Original” profile theme in your “Customize Profile” menu. For Xbox Series X | For S owners, the dynamic background “The Original” is available in the “Personalization” menu.
- Looking for something new to play with? Check out this collection with some of the best games that made Xbox history. You can also find the games collection on your Xbox console by searching for “Xbox Anniversary” in the store.
- Visit us today at Twitch.tv/Xbox at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET to kick off the celebration with our livestreaming hosts who remember two decades of gaming as they play the game that started it all – Halo: Combat Evolved via the Halo: Master Chief Collection.
- We’ll continue the fun through November with more announcements, activities, and ways to celebrate. visit xbox.com / 20years Current information on anniversary activities throughout the year.
We’ll have more fun as we get closer to November 15thth Anniversary date. Watch out for Xbox Wire or on here xbox.com/20years for the latest updates.
looking ahead
Whether you’ve been an Xbox fan since day one or you’re on Xbox for the first time this week, we’re humble and excited to be part of the Xbox community with you. As we all recall the memories we’ve shared over 20 years, we can’t help but be excited to see what’s next for Xbox. Imagine what we will do together over the next 20 years!
* Xbox Game Pass Ultimate required where available
