More bad Xbox news: Leaker warns gamers that next Xbox console might not be backwards compatible with older consoles

It has been a rough few days for both Xbox fans and the first-party Xbox developers. Microsoft recently fired around 9,000 people from its gaming division and canceled hotly anticipated titles like Rare’s Everwild and Perfect Dark. The Initiative, Microsoft’s “AAAA” gaming studio, has also been closed. 

Moreover, Microsoft’s CFO has reportedly given Xbox an unrealistic financial target to meet, which suggests that there could be more trouble on the way for Xbox studios and projects under development.

As if this weren’t enough bad news for Xbox fans, a new report from leaker Moore’s Law Is Dead suggests that future Xbox consoles might not be fully backwards compatible with pre-Xbox Series X | S games. Interestingly, this leak is in stark contrast with a previous report, which claimed that Xbox One and Xbox 360 will work natively on the next-gen Xbox console(s).

MLID’s information is derived from a private conversation that a developer had with Xbox regarding the ROG Xbox Ally devkits, game certifications, etc. MLID claims to have seen screenshots of the conversation where someone from Xbox explains that there won’t be ROG Xbox Ally devkits and that game developers don’t need to submit their titles for certifications, as the ROG Xbox Ally is just a PC.

Moreover, MLID conjectures that there are no guarantees that the next Xbox console will be able to play games from the Xbox One, Xbox 360, or original Xbox. This ties in with the reports that the next-gen Xbox is just a PC running Windows. Playing Xbox One/360 games on a PC requires emulation, which opens up a whole can of worms regarding licensing issues and contractual obligations.

Microsoft’s gaming division is in shambles with confusing messaging, constantly shifting strategies, and a clear lack of vision. So, nothing certain can be said about the future of Xbox backwards compatibility. The best we can do is wait for official correspondence from the company.

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