Xbox surprised legions of players earlier this year when it left behind X’s social media integration features. The social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, is home to players sharing moments from their favorite Xbox games, whether that is via screenshots or short clips. Now, X Corp. founder Elon Musk is eager to find out why Microsoft’s gaming arm has taken away sharing functionality on Xbox consoles.
Reporting on the news of Sony preparing to shut down X-focused features on PS4 and PS5, X account ‘X News Daily’ speculates that the platform is “aiming to become a major streaming platform, but this will be less convenient for console players now that both Xbox and PlayStation integration is gone.”
Taking note of this, Musk himself briefly responds, explaining that “I will look into this.” As a fan of some of the best Xbox games around, like Diablo 4, it wouldn’t be a surprising move to see the platform aim to replicate the success of Twitch or Kick. Musk has streamed the Blizzard Entertainment RPG on X in the past, posting in October that he had “tested the X video game streamer system” while showing off his Diablo 4 class in one of the best RPG games of the year.
The option to stream games to X is believed to be part of Musk’s plans to make X an “everything app”, which includes dedicated Xbox and PS5 streaming tools in the future.
Tested the 𝕏 video game streamer system last night. It works!
Will try to complete a Tier 100 Nightmare dungeon tonight live on this platform.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 2, 2023
In the same stream as his Diablo 4 play through, Musk also clarifies that “we will add in streaming for Xbox and PS5. You know, we’re not trying to do everything better than every other app, but we want to say that if you want to do something within the X system or the X platform, you can do it if you want.”
Alarm bells could be ringing for Musk, though, as Xbox’s disengagement with sharing features also shares commonality with Sony, as PS5 X integration is also soon to be off the cards for PlayStation console owners. A notice for PS5 players recently warns owners that X sharing features will cease to work from November 13, while Xbox brought its sharing partnership with X down in April this year. With X raising the cost of API access, the tool used to merge the two platforms together, this could be a vital factor in Microsoft and Sony’s decision to leave X integration behind.
According to a report from The New York Times, X’s worth equates to around $19 billion, a steep drop from the $44 billion Musk paid last year.
You can still share moments from all the new Xbox games you’re currently playing via the Xbox mobile application, which obtains screenshots and videos uploaded to Microsoft’s digital storage after linking with your console. The application is also handy for checking out the best Xbox Game Pass games, too.