Xbox Celebrates 25 Years With Halo, Fable, Doom, and Wolfenstein 3 Updates

Microsoft celebrates 25 years of Xbox with new game announcements, classic original Xbox titles coming to PC, and updates for some of its biggest franchises.

Xbox is marking its 25th anniversary with a host of announcements and updates across some of its biggest franchises. It's a chance for Microsoft to look back at the original Xbox and look forward to what's coming next. There's new content for Halo and Doom, some fresh gameplay from Fable, and confirmation that Wolfenstein 3 is in development. That's a pretty good haul of news for the anniversary.

The celebration also includes a look at the original Xbox's impact on the modern gaming industry. Xbox has been sharing several anniversary posts looking at the console's history and its place in gaming. One specific point, though, has been corrected in a community note. The original Xbox is sometimes cited as the first console to use dual analog sticks, but that's not true. The dual analog stick was, in fact, a pre-existing concept.

The note illustrates how an anniversary can be a good occasion to re-examine gaming history and the impact of earlier hardware. One big thing is that Halo Campaign Evolved is getting a Firefight update. Firefight has always been a big part of the Halo experience, letting players go head-to-head against waves of increasingly tough enemies. It's another reason why people will want to get back into the battlefield and experience the combat in the Halo world beyond the standard campaign.

The update also clearly indicates that Microsoft still wants to keep the content going in the Halo world. Fable also got a bit of a go during the celebrations, with around four minutes of gameplay shown. It's another look at the forthcoming fantasy adventure and gives a far better idea of what the world and gameplay are like. Fable is one of Microsoft's best-known franchises, so its return matters for Xbox's future.

After all these years of anticipation, this additional footage is a great way to whet the appetite of longtime fans waiting for its return. Doom: The Dark Ages is also getting new content through a feature called Slaughter Mode. That's another combat-focused mode for fans who like the action.

Doom has always been an aggressive game, full of tough enemies and fast action, so another mode in that vein fits the game's established character.

One of the big news items for long-time fans is that Wolfenstein 3 is now officially in production at MachineGames. They've made several Wolfenstein games and have a well-established track record for cinematic storytelling and first-person combat. It's good to hear another entry in the series is on the way, though no further details have been shared about the story, gameplay, or release date.

Beyond the forthcoming titles, Xbox is also bringing 25 original Xbox games over to PC. That could make several older titles more accessible to a modern audience and let the old guard go back and play some of the games that were on the original console. The announced list includes Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, Red Faction 2, and Disney's Chicken Little.

These titles span the original Xbox library (RPGs, action games, family games, etc.), and their arrival on PC could introduce them to a new generation of players who may never have had the chance to play them on the original console. It also gives existing Xbox fans a chance to revisit old favorites without going back to their original hardware.

Xbox is also rolling out achievement support for some of the classic titles. Knights of the Old Republic, Blinx: The Time Sweeper, and Conker: Live & Reloaded are among them. Achievements have been a big part of the Xbox experience and a great way to get players to do more, explore the various challenges, and complete extra objectives. Adding achievements to the classic games could be a great way to give those older experiences a boost.

The anniversary announcements show that Microsoft's celebration isn't just about looking back. The 25th anniversary of the original Xbox is the focus, of course. Still, the company is also promoting several upcoming projects and other ways to experience its gaming history. There's a whole raft of new content to look forward to, including Halo, Fable gameplay, Doom: The Dark Ages Slaughter Mode, and Wolfenstein 3 entering production.

Ultimately, it's a chance to celebrate the franchises and games that have defined Xbox. The fact that the original Xbox games are now available on PC, with achievement support for the older titles, is a great way to link the past with the present. There's plenty of reason for both the old guard and the new to look back at what Xbox has achieved and look forward to what's coming next.