Has Xbox successfully shed its "edgy, masculine, GAMER" brand?

[Babu93]

I've seen this tweet doing the rounds on Twitter and sparking discussion among other gaming journos over the last few days. So thought it would be interesting to get a wider take on how perceptions around the Xbox brand have, or have not, shifted over time.

People talk a lot about the transformation at Xbox in terms of producing better hardware and buying studios and such, but I think the shift from being the "gamer bro" console to banging the "when we all play, we all win" drum is an interesting story in its own right.

Spoiler: Some more takes

 

[neoak]

Imran is on point on his take.

And yes, It's a great place for Indies.

 

[Kromis]

God bless Satya

 

[AIan]

I thought it was the gamer bro console too and have also done a 180 on it so, agreed. Halo being the biggest game for the first two consoles added to the fact, but with GamePass and the indies it's becoming a console for everyone.

 

[defaltoption]

Of course, there's still work to be done on the accessibility front but they lost the dude bro edginess stuff all the way back on xbox one.

They have proven consistently their main goal these days is play for everyone everywhere.

 

[entremet]

God bless Satya

Click to shrink...

You mean, Phil?

Satya is his boss and is mostly allocating budget.

 

[Messi]

Is there anything Phil can't do??

 

[Izanagi89]

I've personally started warming up to Xbox. The X1 generation was almost non-existent to me and all the big 360 games was just way too "dudebro-ish" as well. This is honestly the first generation where I'm actively keen to see where they go.

 

[Sparkedglory2]

I'd say so. Personally I haven't thought about them that way in quite awhile. So seeing them branch out is nice.

 

[gothmog]

I guess as a bit of a counterpoint, Xbox is in the process of acquiring the biggest "edgy, masculine" franchise in the world.

I think they will lean into whatever sells well.

 

[defaltoption]

Is there anything Phil can't do??

Click to shrink...

Get xbox players FF7 remake.... I kid I kid xbox peeps

 

[Cali32]

I just see it as a Game Pass box.

 

[The Gold Hawk]

In the sense of the content being made and the striving towards accessibility, then yeah. Definitely.

I don't know about the XB1 generation (because I was old at the time and had better things to care about) but I do have strong memories of the 360 being seen, possibly unfairly, as the go to console for "dude bros" and it feels different now.

There are still internal issues and problems with fanbases but those aren't Xbox exclusive things.

 

[nsilvias]

Idk, i saw alot of fps one after another at there showcase.

 

[Quinton]

To a point, anyway. My roommates definitely still thought that was what the Xbox brand is all about until I discussed it with them. (One was rather surprised I wanted to play Xbox games, even as she considered my career in games journalism.)

I think what happened here is that people who aren't plugged into this stuff now but were more readily aware of it while growing up are still going to think Xbox is "the dudebro brand." It makes sense.

That said, I would hazard a guess that most players in the year 2022 just grab what they want and don't give this a whole lot of thought regardless.

Though anecdotally, I recall how, while camping overnight for a Series X on Black Friday, almost everyone was clearly getting a console for Call of Duty, and every single one of them not only said they were there for "a Sony" but they were all shocked that I wasn't. So, you do have that sort of crowd as well, and some among them surely fit the "dudebro" stereotype, and the PS4 era really did a number on attracting those folks to cross the imaginary line.

 

[megamanofnumbers]

They recently bought Activision Blizzard, so I'm going say ABSOLUTELY NOT

 

[Dyle]

It's much less associated with them but they are still definitely the closest to that stereotype of any major company in the industry if we include Activision. It feels hard to claim that the company that will own Halo, Doom, Call of Duty, & World of Warcraft isn't still heavily invested in the dudebro gamer stereotype

 

[Jimnymebob]

Yeah, as someone who never owned but played an Xbox, the 360 seemed to lean too hard in being the system for 'cool teens', so I just lost all interest.
Picked up a One S in 2018 for Rare Replay and Halo MCC, and I've kinda been continuously impressed by what they're doing. The biggest selling point for me is their legacy content: I'm super grateful for their efforts in that area.

 

[Deleted member 78833]

I would say look at the commercials they put out that have the farthest reach to try and determine the demographic.

Xbox Series X|S - Power Your Dreams Launch Trailer

Introducing the all-new Xbox Series X|S. Wherever shall we begin? Power your dreams. Watch the launch trailer TV spot.

youtu.be

 

[Alienhated]

It's still the shooter & sports console overall.

 

[Arcoril]

It was originally targeted at that demographic but it's thankfully matured along with them. I'm really happy with the Xbox ecosystem these days and I love the efforts they've been making at preservation.

 

[Rosebud]

Hard to say, it's still a lot of shooters and men protagonists. And now they'll have COD that couldn't be more edgy/masculine/gamer lol

But things like Tell Me Why are a progress, we need less guns.

 

[Arithmetician]

What year is it, 2004? You know, the Kinect was already a thing...

 

[nextgeneration]

I think Game Pass and the plethora of indie games will go a long way in changing perception. Obviously, it's going to take time, as it won't happen overnight, but the June showcase is a good example of the immense variety that exists in the Xbox ecosystem.

 

[christocolus]

Satya and Phil have done such a great job.

 

[alphacat]

I would say so. I love their accessibility initiatives.

 

[Ryuelli]

It's much less associated with them but they are still definitely the closest to that stereotype of any major company in the industry if we include Activision. It feels hard to claim that the company that will own Halo, Doom, Call of Duty, & World of Warcraft isn't still heavily invested in the dudebro gamer stereotype

Click to shrink...

WoW is in no way "dudebro".

 

[purseowner]

Not for me they haven't, and their military affiliations and very American focus and branding is the reason why.

Oh and now they own COD.

 

[SoneaB]

As far as perception goes I think this is true. Though back when they they had that reputation I actually found they had a broader line up than they do now. At least as far as first party and exclusives go. I miss weird MS.

 

[Kromis]

You mean, Phil?

Satya is his boss and is mostly allocating budget.

Click to shrink...

Maybe I'm just rolling in Xbox's new image with Microsoft's under Satya's leadership because I don't think you could have the today's Xbox under Balmer. I'm glad that Phil has a boss who is on the same page about accessibility and putting software on every device. I suppose I meant to say, God bless Satya and Phil 😁

 

[Crossing Eden]

Gaming culture has definitely moved far away from the dude bro perception and MS's efforts have definitely contributed heavily to that as they were THE premiere dude bro experience back during the 360 days.

 

[spman2099]

I would say so. I think they have gotten the gamer stench off of them. Now they provide a whole host of worthwhile experiences.

 

[VinFTW]

It's still the shooter & sports console overall.

Click to shrink...

Hard disagree, Sony is the place to play sports games and CoD, where the audiences for all those games are the biggest.

 

[behOemoth]

It's simply because videogames got bigger. The biggest released projects were still gears and halo and the upcoming biggest project is starfield. Forza Horizon is probably the exception.

 

[JusDoIt]

Xbox has always been great for indies. Xbox Live Arcade was my favorite thing about the 360.

I'm honestly not sure what Xbox's current identity is tho. "Gaming for everyone" sounds like a marketing talking point and I'm not convinced they embody that more than other platforms.

Apple Arcade could say they were "gaming for everyone," and it would probably be as valid a claim (and equally obnoxious) for them as for Xbox.

 

[neoak]

Hard disagree, Sony is the place to play sports games and CoD, where the audiences for all those games are the biggest.

Click to shrink...

Used to be the 360, but Donnie let those deals go.

Xbox has always been great for indies. Xbox Live Arcade was my favorite thing about the 360.

I'm honestly not sure what Xbox's current identity is tho. "Gaming for everyone" sounds like a marketing talking point and I'm not convinced they embody that more than other platforms.

Apple Arcade could say they were "gaming for everyone," and it would probably be as valid a claim (and equally obnoxious) for them as for Xbox.

Click to shrink...

They are the only console manufacturer with an accessibility initiative and actual controller. Much more inclusive than the others.

But sure equate Apple with this:

Xbox Adaptive Controller | Xbox

Connect switches, buttons, joysticks, and mounts to create a custom controller experience that is uniquely yours.

www.xbox.com

 

[Ryuelli]

Xbox has always been great for indies. Xbox Live Arcade was my favorite thing about the 360.

I'm honestly not sure what Xbox's current identity is tho. "Gaming for everyone" sounds like a marketing talking point and I'm not convinced they embody that more than other platforms.

Apple Arcade could say they were "gaming for everyone," and it would probably be as valid a claim (and equally obnoxious) for them as for Xbox.

Click to shrink...

The adaptive controller alone puts them far ahead of others in the "Gaming is for Everyone" department.

 

[Caspar]

Maybe a bit, but I still think of Xbox more of a teen & young adult target audience, compared to Nintendo aiming at children and Sony aiming at adult players. That's probably down to me still associating Xbox with the Halo/Gears/Forza trinity, but obviously now that they've bought every game studio they'll start appealing to pretty much every segment.

 

[cw_sasuke]

It probably still is if strictly compared to the console competition but in general and overall they are catering to a broader audience as a brand.

Also speaking mostly about the US.

 

[Aaronrules380]

I think the stuff they do with accessibility is great, but also really not a strong part of their brand and I'd be willing to bet if you asked casual gamers about it they'd have no idea what you were talking about. I think the brand largely stems from the types of games associated with Xbox, and I don't think that's really changed

 

[JusDoIt]

They are the only console manufacturer with an accessibility initiative and actual controller. Much more inclusive than the others.

Click to shrink...

The adaptive controller alone puts them far ahead of others in the "Gaming is for Everyone" department.

Click to shrink...

The adaptive controller is dope. In terms of peripherals, I agree. In terms of games, not as much.

 

[Pancracio17]

All the xbox people replying to that tweet are super happy to be reading stuff like that. Probably music to their ears, exactly the feedback they wanted to hear.

The adaptive controller is dope. In terms of peripherals, I agree. In terms of games, not as much.

Click to shrink...

I think it goes a bit farther than just that though. They also have the cheapest next gen console, gamepass which includes cloud gaming and loads of genres, their PC multiplatform strategy, etc.

Its a good business pitch, pretty different and much better than what they had before with the edgy personality.

 

[neoak]

The adaptive controller is dope. In terms of peripherals, I agree. In terms of games, not as much.

Click to shrink...

>Looks at Minecraft

Ah yes, let's make distinctions of games and peripherals to make a point.

Not like people associate the DualSense with Playstation as a brand. Or the Move. Or the PSVR. Definitely not.

Nevermind the title is about the brand

 

[TripleBee]

Xbox has always been great for indies. Xbox Live Arcade was my favorite thing about the 360.

I'm honestly not sure what Xbox's current identity is tho. "Gaming for everyone" sounds like a marketing talking point and I'm not convinced they embody that more than other platforms.

Apple Arcade could say they were "gaming for everyone," and it would probably be as valid a claim (and equally obnoxious) for them as for Xbox.

Click to shrink...

The have accessibility controllers, and publish games with diverse characters - they swapped Gears protagonist to a woman - and I can't picture Nintendo, Sony, or Apple publishing a game with a trans protagonist like Tell Me Why. Xbox is clearly putting their money where there mouth is.

 

[Dekuman]

No.

 

[JusDoIt]

I can't picture Nintendo, Sony, or Apple publishing a game with a trans protagonist like Tell Me Why.

Click to shrink...

This is also very dope.

 

[Joe White]

It's far from perfect, but Xbox feels to be most inclusive and acceptive of brands in console space. Personally I feel most at home and welcome there (after PC).

 

[Rosebud]

The have accessibility controllers, and publish games with diverse characters - they swapped Gears protagonist to a woman - and I can't picture Nintendo, Sony, or Apple publishing a game with a trans protagonist like Tell Me Why. Xbox is clearly putting their money where there mouth is.

Click to shrink...

TLOU II

Spoiler

has a prominent trans character, plus Ellie (a gay woman) as protagonist

 

[TripleBee]

TLOU II

Spoiler

has a prominent trans character, plus Ellie (a gay woman) as protagonist

Click to shrink...

That's actually a good point. I stand somewhat corrected.

 

[Flame Lord]

I always saw whatever "the" console was of the time to be the "edgy" "dudebro" one. Maybe it's because of the time period the 360 ruled the US; online and social media were on the rise and maybe helped proliferate that image. To me the Playstation is equal in that feeling, I always remember this segment whenever I hear someone try to describe the PS as the artisan's choice of console. Nintendo is the one that I can't say I've ever associated with that sort of audience.