Microsoft appears to be quietly removing traces of its controversial “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign from the internet. The campaign was originally introduced to promote the idea that Xbox is more than just a console, but recent changes suggest the company may now be moving away from that message. Probably so everyone focuses on Project Helix instead.

The “This is an Xbox” campaign launched in 2024 with a simple concept. Microsoft wanted to show that Xbox was evolving into a broader gaming platform rather than a single piece of hardware. The campaign promoted the idea that anything capable of running Xbox games, including smartphones, VR headsets, and PCs, could be considered part of the Xbox ecosystem.

However, people recently noticed that pages connected to the campaign are no longer available. The original announcement post that introduced the marketing strategy has been removed from Xbox Wire, Microsoft’s official news hub for Xbox updates. The link to that post still exists, but opening it now leads to a 404 error page, indicating that the content has been taken down. Tag pages connected to the campaign also appear to have been removed.

Interestingly, not all content from the campaign has disappeared. Some of the original promotional videos are still available on YouTube, which suggests Microsoft has not completely erased the campaign but is slowly distancing itself from it.

The timing of these removals seems likely to be related to major leadership changes within Xbox. Recently, former Xbox boss Phil Spencer stepped down, and the company appointed former AI executive Asha Sharma to lead the division. Around the same time, Sarah Bond also left the company, and she was reportedly the driving force behind the “This is an Xbox” campaign.

The campaign itself received mixed reactions from players and even some employees. Many argued that the messaging made the Xbox brand confusing by suggesting that nearly any device could be called an Xbox. For now, Microsoft has not publicly explained why the campaign pages were removed, but Microsoft looks to be pushing for a new direction for the Xbox brand. We got a closer look at next-gen ‘Project Helix’ at GDC 2026, shortly after Sharma promised “the return of Xbox”.

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Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.