Xbox Has a Messaging Problem that Desperately Needs Fixing

Despite the disastrous state that outgoing Xbox execs Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond left the brand in, it seemed like Xbox was finally back getting on track. When newcomer Asha Sharma stepped into the role of Xbox CEO earlier this year, confidence in the brand was at an all-time low. However, after making some small, but notable changes to appease fans, Sharma started to gain a positive reputation for herself. Few had expected her to live up to the Xbox greats like Peter Moore and even Spencer, given her background in AI, but she had managed to prove all of the nay-sayers wrong… at least, up until now.

This week, Xbox made probably the first mistake it has ever made under the Sharma regime. Though this particular failure is small in comparison to what has come before, it highlights a greater problem with the Xbox brand as a whole: its bad messaging.

Xbox Will Show Logos of Competing Platforms at Its Upcoming Showcase

During the latest episode of the official Xbox podcast, Xbox CCO Matt Booty gave fans an idea of what to expect from the upcoming Xbox showcase next week. One of the questions that podcast co-host Jeff Rubenstein had for Booty had to do with platform transparency, or to be more specific, the matter of showing PlayStation and Nintendo logos during Xbox showcases.

In case you weren’t already aware, Microsoft has recently been committing to a transparency approach with its Xbox events and live streams. Previously, the firm used to highlight nothing but Xbox and PC platforms in its flagship events. As a matter of fact, it practically did everything it possibly could to avoid mentioning Sony or Nintendo by name.

Nowadays, though, the company explicitly shows PlayStation and Nintendo logos during its own showcases, even for third-party games that it makes no money on. This is somewhat unprecedented for a platform holder of its size, as PlayStation and Nintendo do not show logos of competing platforms during their own respective events. For decades, this has been the industry standard, as platform holders have preferred to advertise their platform and their platform only.

Xbox’s Transparency Approach Has Caused Controversy

This new approach that Microsoft has taken with its showcases has its pros and cons. On the one hand, it’s nice that fans no longer have to look online to see what platforms the games they’re interested in are coming to. It’s always kind of a pain to wonder if the latest game you see during a State of Play or a Nintendo Direct is launching on your preferred platforms.

On the other hand, it is a bit odd to see Microsoft actively telling people to not buy games on its own storefront. Showing PlayStation and Nintendo logos during Xbox events is like if Burger King told people in its own advertisements that they can buy burgers at McDonald’s. Microsoft doesn’t make a single penny off of titles like Stranger than Heaven and Persona 4 Revival when they are sold on PlayStation, so even from a business standpoint, this transparency model doesn’t make much sense.

Regardless of what side you’re on with this whole debate, the important thing worth highlighting here is not the existence of logos during a showcase or the lack thereof; it’s the consistently contradictory messaging from Xbox itself. Just after Matt Booty talked about how great it is that Xbox is being transparent with what games are coming to which platforms, Asha Sharma took to Twitter to call Booty’s comments a “miss” and a mistake that she will own up to.

Sharma seemingly heard all the feedback from angry Xbox fans who want Xbox to prioritize its own platform, and has said in response that the company will reconsider whether or not to include PlayStation and Nintendo logos in future Xbox events.

Xbox Execs Have to Stop Contradicting Each Other

This is all well and good, but frankly, this comment shouldn’t have had to been made in the first place. Something as basic as logos may sound like a silly thing to make a big deal about, but these contradictory statements from Xbox executives reflects just how incoherent Microsoft’s messaging has been around its console brand as of late.

At a time when Microsoft has been touting the “return of Xbox” and a renewed commitment to its platform, it’s kind of strange that Booty has gone out of his way to praise a decision that is very much not platform-focused. It’s even stranger that Sharma had to correct him hours later.

Microsoft needs to pick a lane with its multiplatform initiative and the direction that it wants to take with the Xbox brand going forward. It also needs to make sure to avoid messaging fumbles like this from ever happening again. Executives at a company should not be explicitly contradicting each other within hours of making statements about a given topic. Issues like this make Xbox look unfocused and disassociated with what fans want from the platform.

At the end of the day, if Xbox, under Sharma’s reign, cannot handle something as basic as clear and consistent messaging, then my hope for the future of the brand is not particularly high.