Here’s Everything Microsoft Announced at its ‘Xbox Anniversary Celebration’ Event

Image: Xbox

Earlier today, Microsoft celebrated 20 years of Xbox during an ‘Xbox Anniversary Celebration’ stream that the company had announced last month.

Prior to the event, Xbox exec Aaron Greenberg made it clear that the stream would not feature any game reveals or big news. Even so, the gaming service managed to throw a few pretty exciting announcements our way.

The biggest news to come out of the event was a full, early launch of the free-to-play Halo Infinite Multiplayer Beta. The full game isn’t due out until December 8, but Xbox Game Studios and developer 343 Industries, in celebration of the Xbox platform’s 20th anniversary, will launch the Multiplayer Beta (and Season 1 content) for all players starting today.

Image: Xbox

“As a thank you to the Xbox community for 20 years of support, 343 Industries launched the free-to-play Halo Infinite Multiplayer Beta and Season 1 three weeks early, available starting now for all players on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows PC,” said Xbox.

Players’ progress from the beta will carry over into next month’s full Halo Infinite launch. Here’s everything else of note that was announced during the event:

  • An Early Access, 10-hour trial of Battlefield (launches everywhere on November 19) that features tons of maps, gameplay modes, and the community-driven Battlefield Portal.
  • Power On: The Story of Xbox — a documentary that goes behind the scenes of the creation of Xbox, along with the platform’s 20-year journey. Scheduled to release on December 13.
  • 70+ new Xbox 360 and Original Xbox games have been added to the backward compatibility library today on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
  • The Xbox Vault — an immersive online experience for Xbox fans, inspired by Netflix’s Red Notice and filled with legendary Xbox artifacts. The Xbox Vault will give fans a chance to win one of over 1,000 limited-edition prizes. For more details, check out the full Xbox Wire post. To experience the Xbox Vault for yourself, visit www.XboxVault.com.
  • The 20th Anniversary Xbox FanFest Sweepstakes, which you can sign up for at www.xbox.com/fanfest. The grand prize is a complete game room makeover from Xbox.
  • A variety of 20th Anniversary Xbox merch, from tees to hoodies to ornaments and more, at the Xbox Gear Shop.

Xbox also announced a number of online events fans can take part in, including charity gaming live streams and in-game tournaments. To learn more, head on over to Xbox Wire.

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