The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S next-gen consoles both launch in less than two weeks. Excitement for the two consoles has built extremely high, as Microsoft is finally able to press the reset button on what was a roller coaster of an Xbox One generation. To celebrate the occasion, Microsoft has announced a special "Kick Off" event coinciding with the Xbox Series X/S launch on November 10. Fans from across the world can join in on the digital broadcast starting at 11:00 am PT/2:00 pm ET.
In a letter regarding the upcoming Xbox Series X/S launch, Xbox boss Phil Spencer encourages fans of "all identities and backgrounds" to join in on the event. He asks fans to "grab your device of choice" and play games alongside Xbox employees and game developers, with no need to go out. Spencer acknowledges the "difficult times" that so many are living through right now, while embracing the ways that video games have brought people together "across physical and social distances."
As for the event itself, Spencer lists a variety of plans for the Xbox Series X launch, including new looks at some next-generation games, developer interactions, as well as charity efforts involving Let's Plays being done by game creators. No further details are available regarding which charities will be supported or how people can donate, though fans can expect to hear more information about that in the next week.
To make clear, while Spencer is trying to build up excitement for launch, he's also trying to temper expectations regarding what this event is all about. As said previously, Xbox sees this as an opportunity to bring gamers together, and as such, there won't be any big announcements as part of the event. Spencer describes it as "a moment of play, not press releases."
While there are certain to be Xbox fans who were hoping for something more focused on building hype for the Xbox Series X/S release window, it's understandable why Microsoft is forgoing that option. The pandemic obviously makes this console launch much different than any prior, and pre-orders have all but guaranteed Xbox Series X and S consoles will be sold out at launch. There's no reason not to make this a low-key celebratory event, where most of the excitement is based around online community building.
Microsoft does have one other reason for trying to steer the focus away from game releases and announcements. The Xbox Series X and S aren't launching with any major platform exclusives. Halo Infinite, which was for a very long time supposed to be the big release this year for Xbox, has been delayed and has no new release window. There will be time for building up hype again later when big game releases are closer to happening.
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S release on November 10.