Xbox marked its 25th anniversary on November 12 by bringing 21 more original Xbox games to PC. It also announced a free Firefight update for Halo: Campaign Evolved and showed four minutes of new Fable gameplay.
We followed the announcements on Twitter in real time and reposted some of Asha Sharma’s updates as they came in. A lot of our friends in the Xbox community were in Seattle for FanFest, including our very own Lord Cognito of the Iron Lords Podcast. It was exciting to see the news drop on Twitter and see our friends react on social media.
One moment Cognito singled out was seeing a friend featured in a FanFest testimonial. He also shared how Xbox Live kept him and his friends from the South Bronx connected before they started the Iron Lords Podcast.
What Is the Xbox 25th Anniversary Celebration?
Xbox opened the day with a letter from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. It also rolled out Xbox Playback, a personalized recap based on your available account history. For example, it can show your first Xbox game, total playtime, and longest streak. You can access it from the console dashboard or on the web. It’s available in 15 countries through December 31.
Original Xbox Games on PC Reach 25 Titles
The backward compatibility update brings the Windows 11 lineup to 25 games in supported markets. The additions include The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, TimeSplitters 2, and Star Wars: Republic Commando. All 25 support mouse and keyboard.
Both Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games now have achievements. So do BLiNX: The Time Sweeper and Conker: Live and Reloaded. You can also earn those achievements on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S with the latest system update.
Halo Firefight, Fable Gameplay, and DOOM’s Slaughter Mode
This winter, a free Firefight update for Halo: Campaign Evolved will let four players team up against waves of enemies. Xbox FanFest attendees get to try it first. After that, Halo Studios will share more at Halo Fest in Seattle on December 12 and 13.
Xbox also showed four minutes of new Fable gameplay. Meanwhile, DOOM: The Dark Ages gets Slaughter Mode on November 16. Id Software also confirmed it’s working on its next game.
Xbox Insiders Get More Console Personalization
Alpha Skip-Ahead members can now shuffle dynamic Home backgrounds. They can also choose which side the Guide opens on. In the library, they can control how games with claimed disc-to-digital licenses appear.
