Summary
- Rumours suggested Microsoft was collaborating with Xenia developers to bring Xbox and Xbox 360 games to Game Pass.
- Xenia team members and journalist Jez Corden have publicly denied these claims.
- Insider extas1s insists Microsoft might have a partnership with Xenia under NDA, promising news in 2026.
- The situation remains unclear, but Microsoft has not officially commented on the matter.
Xenia Developers Deny Microsoft Collaboration Rumours
Recent rumours stirred excitement among Xbox fans when it was claimed that Microsoft was working with the Xenia Canary team to develop an Xbox Classics program. This initiative supposedly aimed to bring original Xbox and Xbox 360 games to modern platforms via Game Pass.
However, these rumours have been strongly refuted by members of the Xenia Canary project itself.
One Xenia developer, ZoloKluk, took to their official Discord server to state clearly that Microsoft has its own Xbox 360 emulator and would not need to consult Xenia. They also mentioned that if such a partnership existed, they would be under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and thus unable to discuss it publicly.
Adding to the scepticism, gaming journalist Jez Corden responded on Twitter, denying the rumour and clarifying that while Microsoft plans to make more Xbox games playable on various devices, this specific collaboration with Xenia is “not on the cards today.”
Despite the denials, rumour source extas1s doubled down, explaining that Microsoft frequently hires or collaborates with external developers and groups from GitHub to enhance their projects.
Extas1s claimed Xenia joined such a program recently and suggested this could explain the NDA and the public denials. They promised fans to “see you in 2026,” hinting that official announcements might come then.
Microsoft has yet to provide an official comment on these rumours, leaving fans to wait and watch for future updates. Until then, the Xbox community remains curious about how classic Xbox games will be preserved and made available on modern platforms.
