Microsoft quietly discontinued manufacturing all Xbox One consoles at the end of 2020, the company has revealed.
As reported by The Verge, Microsoft has stated that it stopped producing Xbox One consoles at the end of 2020 in order to focus its efforts on its new generation of consoles. “To focus on production of Xbox Series X / S, we stopped production for all Xbox One consoles by the end of 2020,” a statement reads.
The company announced that it had ceased production on all Xbox One X and digital Xbox One S consoles a few months prior to the launch of the Xbox Series X in 2020. However, the latest comments from Microsoft indicate that the publisher also stopped manufacturing the disc version of the Xbox One S only a few months later.
It's possible that focusing entirely on Xbox Series console production has helped ease supply issues for Microsoft amid worldwide parts shortages for electronics.
News of the discontinuation comes just shortly after it was reported that Sony is set to produce more PlayStation 4 consoles than initially planned. The company had planned to stop production of the PlayStation 4 at the end of 2021. However, ongoing PS5 shortages have seemingly pushed the technology giant to continue manufacturing its last-generation console for a little while longer.
According to a Bloomberg report, the decision was said to be reached because "the older console uses less advanced chips, is simpler to make and provides a budget-friendly alternative to the PS5." In total, it is expected that a further one million PS4 consoles will be produced due to the issue. As per a Sony official who asked to remain anonymous, this strategy is meant to "fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem."
For more from Microsoft, make sure to check out this article detailing how Phil Spencer recently spoke about how Xbox is "not a free speech platform" for politics. And, if you've read that, then make sure to check out our rundown for everything Xbox Game Pass this January.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.