A new Xbox rumor started this weekend and is now blown out of proportion, as usual. Late Saturday night, Redditors flocked to the Xbox subreddit as someone claimed their local Target had started removing the Xbox section of their store. Then various blogging sites that seem oddly invested in the concept of “Xbox dying” posted headlines based on these anonymous reports. Probably supported by the fact that Costco recently has has reduced its Xbox offering, worsening expectations of a broader retail rout.
From this post came a number of stories in which other Redditors began sharing that they hadn’t seen stock at their local Target or Walmart stores in months. Counter reports have come from various sources, such as Destin Legarie, who shared the following.
“I just called my local Walmart to ask if they were stopping or clearing Xbox inventory. They said, “At least to my knowledge I haven’t heard of anything about clearing inventory or anything like that. Or stopping production.” They also said they still had them in stock.”
We also spoke to a Target employee, who also debunked claims of a broader Xbox phaseout.
Even legendary Xbox alumnus Larry “Major” Nelson weighed in, saying: “All I know is that I went to a few Target and GameStop stores this week and found Xbox hardware and games for sale.” I even did a little investigative work by going to my local Target on an unrelated errand, where I stopped to check out the shelves.
Sure enough, everything was there except the consoles themselves. When I checked their website, I noticed that no Xbox Series X was available, but there were several Xbox Series S consoles for purchase. But Xbox stock tends to fluctuate wildly, as Microsoft seems to be making them virtually to order these days.
The Xbox Series Some of that silicon is used to power Xbox Cloud Gaming, however, which is likely another angle at play here.
At least at Walmart we found both consoles in stock. So wait, do they get rid of it or not? Well, Microsoft gave us a statement, noting that Walmart and Target, as a whole, are still “committed partners” for Xbox hardware.
“Target and Walmart, among other retailers, remain committed partners for Xbox consoles, accessories and games.”
Misinformation is generally worse than ever thanks to AI, bots, etc., but Microsoft has gained a lot of negativity over the past year. Where does all this misinformation come from? And what will it take to reverse the trend?
“Target and Walmart, among other retailers, remain committed partners for Xbox consoles, accessories and games.”
Microsoft
The coming battle for Microsoft started with itself
Twice this year, Microsoft announced across-the-board price increases for all Xbox-branded consoles, largely due to pricing. All variants of the Xbox Series
Then, to add insult to injury, the price of Game Pass Ultimate increased by 50% last month, which will take effect in early November. Since then, Microsoft has faced a tidal wave of claims that Microsoft is getting out of the hardware business altogether, much like Sega did at the turn of the millennium. This follows Microsoft’s summer reveal of a decade-long hardware partnership with AMD, for Xbox consoles.
Forcing another response, Microsoft intervened, stating that it had no plans to get out of the Xbox console hardware business and that seeking more information could reference their latest partnership announcement with AMD.
Microsoft has always struggled with its image, but it has recently reached new lows. When you combine massive layoffs to fund investments in AI products that only shareholders seem to want, aggressive price increases while posting record revenues and profits, and a sprint of unpopular business decisions, Xbox’s public image takes a hit.
Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass had a stellar year before the price hike, and its first-party production was better than ever, after years of struggling to find its footing. The Xbox Series X|S consoles were also some of the best pieces of hardware the company has ever released, again, Before price increases. All you need is a quick glance at the replies to its social posts to get an idea of where Xbox stands with its image.
As one of the most privileged companies in the world, it deserves just as much scrutiny. But the sheer volume of misinformation and negativity risks turning others away from the entire ecosystem, potentially harming customers, employees, and third-party developers who depend on Xbox’s continued existence. Microsoft needs to do more here.