Xbox is turning 20 this year. While it might seem hard to believe, Microsoft released the original Xbox on November 15, 2001. Since its inception, the brand has become a formidable competitor to gaming juggernauts like PlayStation and Nintendo. To celebrate the success of the gaming platform over the past 20 years, Xbox has given its website a nostalgia-filled makeover.
Recently, Xbox decided to change the design of its official website to resemble a classic design from the Xbox 360 era. Known as the Xbox 360 blades, this retro theme received its name from the grayish-colored “blades” that contained different topics on the console dashboard. In addition, the developers intended for the look to resemble the design of the original Xbox 360. Many fans have enjoyed this classic look on the Xbox site. Some loved the blades so much that they even wanted the developers to add them as a theme for the Xbox Series X/S. Recently, a couple of engineers working for Xbox had a brief exchange about the possibility of the blades coming to modern consoles.
The conversation was between Xbox engineering lead Eden Marie and Xbox software engineer Brenna Duffitt. The talk about the classic Xbox 360 theme took place on October 18. The exchange started when Duffitt tweeted, “BRING BACK THE BLADES.” Unfortunately, for both fans and Duffitt, her superior quickly responded with “NO.”
Marie then went on to write, “Wow, that joke tweet was spicy.” However, she noted that she still liked the blade design as well. “To be fair, I love the blades,” she said. Based on this interaction between the engineers at Xbox, it seems that positive sentiment for the retro theme remains. Unfortunately, the likelihood of it becoming available for gamers to use on modern Xbox consoles appears doubtful. Nevertheless, anything is possible, and the company could ultimately decide to include the theme later down the road.
Besides the blades from the Xbox 360, the company has celebrated its 20th anniversary by bringing back another iconic theme. Back in May, an Xbox Series X system update brought back the original Xbox dashboard. This blast from the nostalgic past gave many fans a look at one of the first themes ever seen on an Xbox console.
In addition to classic Xbox dashboard themes, players can celebrate the 20 years of Xbox with several limited-time products. Recently, Xbox announced a partnership with Adidas to sell Xbox-themed shoes. Furthermore, the company revealed a Series X controller and headset in commemoration of the brand as well. With a couple more months left in 2021, it will be interesting to see if Xbox has any other surprises in store for its anniversary.
Source: Pure Xbox