Microsoft Is Celebrating 20 Years Of Xbox And Halo With Plenty Of Activities To Mark The Milestone

The original Xbox console was released on November 15th, 2001 in North American markets and was followed by more launches all around the world including Japan, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and China the following year. A lot has changed in those 20 years, considering that playing anything on Xbox involved hooking up the console to a standard definition television with a multitude of cables, waiting in line at various retail outlets to preorder and pick up the latest games, and saving progress was limited to only 8GB of storage space. Players were also restricted to playing their favourite games either alone or with a co-op partner in the same room; couch co-op was the norm before online multiplayer became more mainstream.

Fast forward to 2021 and the entire Xbox experience has undergone a significant change with players no longer restricted to playing games on traditional consoles and now have the ability to continue their gaming sessions on both PC and mobile devices. Connecting with friends has also been made easier thanks to the Xbox LIVE Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate services – the latter which provides players with instant access to hundreds of Xbox titles on the spot without having to wait for them to be delivered or physically picked up from retail locations. Now more than ever, players have a much greater variety of games to play with even more diverse characters to meet, worlds to explore, and achievements to unlock with Xbox praising their community for helping to change the face of gaming in a positive way.

With 2021 marking the 20th anniversary of the Xbox brand and platform, Microsoft is also preparing to celebrate another milestone – in the most Xbox way possible. The beloved Halo franchise which launched alongside the original Xbox console on November 15th, 2001 will also be celebrating its 20th anniversary and with the upcoming release of Halo Infinite in a few short months, there are plenty of ways for players to showcase their love of all things Xbox.

For starters, fans can utilize #Xbox20 on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) to share their favourite Xbox memories, stories, friendships, prized possessions, achievements, and anything else in particular that comes to mind. The official Xbox social media accounts will be asking the community a lot of questions throughout the year and will also be highlighting and spotlighting shared answers across all of their channels. Fans will know that they are using the correct hashtag because an Xbox themed icon – sporting the 20th anniversary logo – will appear alongside it.

The Xbox Gear Shop is currently offering Wave 1 of their official Xbox 20th Anniversary gear for a limited time with items including: Xbox 20th Anniversary Tee, Xbox 20th Anniversary Trucker Hat, Xbox 20th Anniversary Personalized Mug, Halo 20th Anniversary Throw Pillow, and much more! Fans can also download a collection of specialty themed Xbox 20th Anniversary Wallpapers with unique designs in a variety of resolutions and sizes; Xbox One dashboards, computer desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. Those looking for an extra special way to celebrate can customize their Xbox One consoles with “The Original” profile theme and gamerpic with a dynamic option available for Xbox Series X|S owners.

Xbox FanFest will also be making a return this year – despite E3 going digital this year – and fans can REGISTER today and participate in 20th Anniversary activities including exclusive sweepstakes, access to FanFest gear, and other digital experiences. Microsoft will keep the fun going through November 15th, 2021 with even more announcements and activities coming soon. Information regarding all things Xbox 20th Anniversary can be found on the official Xbox 20th Anniversary website.

Fun Fact: Did you know that there are currently over 7,000 titles available on the Xbox platform? This includes the original Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S consoles with the Xbox gaming community unlocking nearly 1 trillion Gamerscore in total.