Xbox One Will Live On After Xbox Series X Launches

The beginning of a new console generation is an exciting time, but it can also be a worrying one for owners of current-generation hardware. The temptation for console makers to throw all their weight behind a new machine must be pretty strong, but thankfully, they often keep supporting old-generation hardware for a while after a new console launches. That's particularly true when the old-gen hardware was a popular seller, like the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 2.

That doesn't always happen, though, and some platform holders have shown a willingness to drop an underperforming console as soon as they release a new one. A good example of that is Nintendo, which almost instantly stopped making new games for the doomed Wii U the moment the Switch arrived on the scene. Were it not for the fact that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild had already been confirmed for the Wii U, we would have probably even seen Nintendo ditch the console sooner.

It begs the question of what Microsoft will do with the Xbox One once the Xbox Series X arrives later this year. It's not exactly a secret that the Xbox One hasn't had the best console cycle – after a reveal event that was largely panned by players, the Xbox One seemed destined to finish a distant second to the PlayStation 4. We don't know if that's actually the case, because Microsoft stopped sharing console sales numbers regarding the Xbox One, which was taken as a sign that things were bad.

If you're an Xbox One owner and you're worried that your console will be brushed aside the moment the Xbox Series X releases, you can breathe a sigh of relief. In a lengthy interview with MCV, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty said that the Xbox One won't be going anywhere after the Xbox Series X releases, at least not for a little while.

"As our content comes out over the next year, two years, all of our games, sort of like PC, will play up and down that family of devices," Booty says. "We want to make sure that if someone invests in Xbox between now and [Series X] that they feel that they made a good investment and that we're committed to them with content."

So, at the start, Xbox-exclusive titles will launch on Xbox One and Xbox Series X (along with PC). We already knew that was going to be the case for Halo Infinite, which will be a launch title for Xbox Series X and will also make its way to Xbox One, but it's nice to have confirmation that those plans to continue supporting Xbox One will stretch further than just Halo.

In other words, if you're thinking of buying an Xbox One now at the end of the generation, you can do so safe in the knowledge that Microsoft won't move away from it the second Xbox Series X is released. There's still a lot we don't know about the new console, but Microsoft will undoubtedly be telling us more as we move through 2020, so stay tuned.