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Xbox gamers are not happy about full-screen ads

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Unexpected changes to the Xbox dashboard have become commonplace in recent years, but the unsolicited introduction of full-screen ads is arguably the worst to date.

If there’s one unforgiving community you really don’t want to antagonise, it’s gamers.

A bona fide way of doing so is to immediately interrupt our sessions the instant the dashboard loads. Alas, Microsoft has deemed this start-up window as the perfect opportunity to hit Xbox owners with full-screen advertisements.

While examples have at least featured relevant information to the console – such as a link to the company’s Developer_Direct showcase, or a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III ‘buy now’ prompt – the discontent on social media sites and forums is palpable.

Feeling that turning a blind eye would likely lead to more intrusive marketing, a strong community consensus is that the practice should be nipped in the bud before spiralling out of control.

In the case of the Call of Duty ad, it’s understandable that Microsoft would want some bang for its buck (following its $69bn purchase of Activision), but there’s something about forcing full screen ads on a captive audience that doesn’t sit right. Especially, when a third of players already pay subscription fees for features like Game Pass.

While the Xbox 360 was once famed for its no nonsense UI and accessible dashboard, that pro has consistently declined with each following generation of console. Increased customisation options with the Series X is a boon, granted, but the homepage is becoming more cluttered and convoluted.

An update of this nature ignited real frustration among Xbox owners last May, when the formerly visible ‘my games and apps’ tile was swapped out for the ‘browse the store’ tile under console’s last played game.

Though ‘my games and apps’ remained accessible through two-or-so extra steps, gamers were rightly irked at the realisation that further sales were taking precedence over the convenience of their experience. It’s the antithesis of PlayStation’s ‘For the Players’ slogan.

Taking that recent history into account, it’s safe to say that there is legitimate cause for concern regarding just how prevalent intrusive advertising could become on the platform. As well as nudges for Xbox or Microsoft conferences, I can also recall having to close full-screen ads for Forza Motorsport and Starfield up to four months ago.

To reiterate, Microsoft has a tendency to flippantly chuck out UI updates as part of its Xbox Insider Program and monitor the community to see if it should back-track. The amount of time already elapsed in this example suggests this move may be a permanent one, though.

By the time we’re loading up Elder Scrolls VI in the next half-decade, who knows how prominent ads will be on Xbox? Load up and immerse yourself in the capitalist regime!

Gaming Editor London, UK

I’m Jamie (He/Him), the Deputy Editor and a Senior Writer at Thred. Keeping up with social media updates and revolutionary technology is my forte, but when away from my keyboard, you’ll probably find me wrapped around a large Tango ice blast at the latest mediocre horror flick. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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