What a six years it’s been for Xbox . The Xbox Series consoles’ lifespan has seen Microsoft’s gaming ambitions shot into the stratosphere by the $67.9 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. At the same time, the Series X and Series S consoles — despite being arguably Xbox’s best hardware to date — have sold poorly, falling behind even their unpopular predecessor Xbox One, never mind PlayStation 5 and the all-conquering Nintendo Switch.

The results have been chaotic: a leadership change, mass layoffs, the closure and divestment of several studios. Console exclusivity for first-party was seemingly abandoned, but is now (partially) back on the menu. Game Pass is in flux, with multiple changes in bundling and pricing strategy, and more on the way.…