It's been less than four years since Microsoft launched the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S — the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series — but it sounds like the company is already looking ahead to the future. Windows Central has obtained an internal email from Xbox president Sarah Bond — verified to be genuine by Microsoft — that seemingly confirms work is already underway on its next-generation console while also providing some insight into the company's vision for it.
"We are moving full speed ahead on our next generation hardware, focused on delivering the biggest technological leap ever in a generation," reiterating statements she made in February on the Official Xbox Podcast.
The site notes that Bond's email also touched on Microsoft's innovations in gaming AI, which seems to be a big part in Microsoft's vision for the future of Xbox.
"We are innovating in Gaming AI, focused on delivering player-first, developer-first value for discovery, engagement, and creator velocity," the email reads.
While the email contained no details about the hardware, it sounds like Microsoft is focusing on building a console that ensures the future of the current Xbox game library. As the video game industry shifts to more of a digital licensing model and online services, there's growing concern among gamers that their favorite games could be taken offline permanently at any moment, especially as the games become older and new technology arises.
The email reveals that Microsoft has put together "a new team dedicated to game preservation, important to all of us at Xbox and the industry itself,"
"We are building on our strong history of delivering backwards compatibility to our players, and we remain committed to bringing forward the amazing library of Xbox games for future generations of players to enjoy," Bond states in the email.
Sources revealed to Windows Central that more information on Microsoft's backward compatibility plans could be shared at the Xbox Showcase this summer.
This isn't the first time we've heard reports about Xbox's next-gen console. Documents released as part of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) versus Microsoft trial over the buyout of Activision Blizzard contained information about "the next generation of gaming at Microsoft."
The documents talked about a “next generation hybrid game platform” that combines the power of the client and the cloud to “enable new levels of performance beyond the capabilities of the client hardware alone." The documents also talked about some potential hardware, including an ARM64 CPU and an AMD GPU.
It's obviously way too early to talk about a release date for the next-gen Xbox console, but Microsoft's timeline according to those FTC documents has a late 2028 release date with development kits being sent out in 2027.
That would mean the Xbox Series X|S would be eight years old by the time the new Xbox generation arrives. To put this into perspective, there were eight years between the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and seven years between the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.