Greetings all,
We'd first like to extend a very sincere thank-you to each of you who visit and participate with us. Today we are announcing some important changes to the overall structure of these communities.
Xbox and Reddit have undergone significant changes over the years. Fifteen years ago, the only way to access Reddit was through a desktop computer and the "old" reddit interface (long may it reign). Today, the vast majority of you find your way here via mobile or app. Communities that numbered in the hundreds and thousands, now have millions of users. What was once a niche corner of the internet is now one of its leading social platforms.
Xbox itself has undergone many transformations in that time as well, not only in terms of hardware, but also in terms of its vision and scope. It has expanded beyond the console market to embrace new features such as play anywhere, cross save, cloud play, Game Pass, and with the acquisition of several major studios. These innovations have enabled many of us to enjoy the Xbox platform in ways that go beyond the traditional console experience.
In addition to these changes, we've heard time and again about frustrations with how the Xbox communities on Reddit are structured. Via mod mail, comment, and even from Xbox team members directly. Many of the current mod team were users long before joining on, and we shared those frustrations.The current landscape of Xbox communities on Reddit could realistically be described as scattered and redundant. Essentially, several subreddits are serving up the same content and it no longer makes sense to divide the userbase and content in this manner. In a recent community survey shared in all major Xbox themed subreddits - we saw overwhelming and near unanimous support for some form of consolidation. The most popular (and seemingly logical) proposal, being to merge the major console hubs into .
"It's past the time all of these communities merge into one. It's unnecessary to keep them separate. Have flairs to filter which platform/generation is being discussed, if needed. "
"Ideally, we would all migrate to as the future proofed permanent sub. Unfortunately, the content on XboxSeriesX is much more engaging currently. "
"Maybe more cross pollination of some type? At least between “Xbox” and the current gen’s subreddit. It’s a bit fragmented at the moment "
"Ideally I think they should all be combined and should be the main hub. Especially considering Xbox is becoming a platform that spans multiple console generations, PC, cloud, and mobile rather than just console. "
"Unification around the sub, using the rules & features (like user/post flairs), with mods from all three subs packed together. If only more web moderators had a shred of humility. "
"A combined place, too much fracturing
" should become the main community. New generations of consoles will further segregate the community and there needs to be a guaranteed central hub "
"Ideally, should probably be the hub "
"There seems to be a lot of redundancy between the three, with duplicate posts/subjects in each subreddit, unnecessarily dividing attention and discussion. I believe it'd be better to centralize most Xbox news and discussion within , making that the general subreddit."
Based on that feedback - we invite you to join us in a new direction for Xbox themed communities on Reddit.
A major concern with this change from both users and mod team members was the preservation of the history of the legacy subs. This resulted in the creation of the historical posts archive page in the community Wiki. There you will find a listing of past significant posts, and the conversations held in real time within. Preserving the history of these communities through the historical post archive. In the wiki you will also find archives for all past AMA posts, and community Game of the Year winners dating back to 2014!
There is a lot going on behind the scenes to make this a smooth transition for regular users, and we will be active and available to handle questions, concerns, and suggestions. We couldn't be more excited to address an issue that has been raised time and again, and we hope you'll agree and join us in turning the page on a new chapter for both Xbox, and these communities!Cheers,Xbox Community Moderators
Why is this happening now?
Work actually began on this about a year ago - a great deal of time and care has gone into creating and easy transition for all involved. A universal subreddit is more in step with the current direction of the platform.
What do I as a user need to do?
Almost nothing! If you currently visit via r/xboxone or r/xboxseriesx - you will be met with a redirect to r/xbox where you will find the same Xbox news and content you expect today.
What if I don't want to see a particular type of content?
r/Xbox now has a robust flair system to help sort submissions. Simply click the flair you're interested in ('news' for example), and you will only be shown submissions of that type.
What will the ruleset and culture look like on the 'new' r/Xbox?
The changes to r/Xbox are already largely in place. You will find a new rule set more in line with other major console communities with a focus on posts of wide appeal. A new post flair system has been implemented to help users better sort and filter content, backend changes to autmod and other features have been updated, and the largely vacant mod team has been removed in favor of a more active and involved team members.
What about console specific content?
The xbox platform has very clearly evolved beyond any single piece of hardware. Many of us are playing the same game on PC, cloud, and console, and r/Xbox will be representative of that. Post flairs are required and will help to sort or filter content that is relevant to you!
Will there be a need for new mod team members?
Absolutely, and it is a goal to find more community representation from those of you who visit and contribute regularly. You are the lifeblood of these communities and are key to the future and overall health of each subreddit. Watch for details on open applications in the coming weeks!
Why a separate sub for tech and support?
This issue has now been polled multiple times in multiple communities, and the results have always been the same - the vast majority of you find tech and support posts of limited interest outside of widespread or urgent issues (for example core services being down). A dedicated subreddit allows for better archiving of past issues, and keeps the main community free from the clutter of often repeated technical issues. The goal here isn't to hide issues, but to better focus them. it's a unique approach, and one we hope you will find a beneficial one if you come to reddit for help.
What about PC, Cloud, & Mobile Content?
r/xbox will serve as a central hub for all Xbox platform discussion. As more gamers take advantage of features like Gamepass PC and play anywhere, it no longer makes sense to segregate these conversations. A post flair system has been established to help you better sort content.
Good bye all. It was nice knowing you. *plunges into r/xbox*
😂 We hope everyone here will join r/xbox and continue to build our community there. We are very excited to consolidate the fragmented Xbox community on Reddit and bring us all together in one hub.
This makes sense, xbox is an ecosystem.
r/MicrosoftGaming afterwards? :P
Hold tight, we're pulling this and reposting as we've noticed a couple typos we can't edit out.
The mods at r/xbox are a little power hungry... shame to see this sub merge.