Power On, a new documentary series detailing the storied history of the Xbox, is now out on YouTube to stream for free.
Of particular interest is the appearance of Don Mattrick, the infamous leader of Xbox during the launch of the Xbox One, in the final episode. Mattrick left Microsoft in July 2013, months before the Xbox One launched, signalling a big change in the focus for Xbox in the years to come. This is Mattrick's first interview since, providing new angles on the entire saga.
"We got pushback from consumers, from some journalists, questioning if we had made the right choice as a company," explained Mattrick. "It was a valid criticism, but it was a very binary choice. And we chose to bet on online."
As you might know, that bet didn't pay off at the time (even if that's how games are predominantly consumed now), and it led to a difficult time for Microsoft as it fought for the future of Xbox. Mattrick left Microsoft in July 2013, months before the Xbox One was due to launch. Phil Spencer would only take his position as head of Xbox almost a year later, in March 2014.
It's not all bad business decisions and redemptive stories either. The series also dives into the many highs of the brand, from the incredible launch of the Xbox 360 and its years of dominance over Sony's PlayStation 3. There's also a breakdown of what went wrong with the initial pitch for the Xbox and Bill Gates' well-known initial rejection of the idea, as well as the fight Microsoft had on its hands with the Xbox 360's infamous Red Ring of Death debacle.
Xbox had a strong end to its 20th year in the industry, with both Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite launching to critical and commercial acclaim.