Microsoft’s next console, codenamed Project Helix, may play every Xbox game ever made, according to a leaked internal memo obtained by the Verge’s resident Microsoft expert, Tom Warren.
Support would stretch across four console generations, covering the original 2001 Xbox, the Xbox 360, the Xbox One, and the current Series machines, with native PC titles alongside them.
To facilitate this transition, Microsoft is pitching a proposed disc-to-digital program that would allow owners of physical Xbox One and Series X games to claim digital licenses valid across the ecosystem, a useful arrangement given that Project Helix may not include a disc drive.
The program would even account for the resale market, with the digital license transferring to whoever buys the disc.
None of this works without publisher approval, of course, which is probably why much of the memo reads more like a sales pitch to third parties. The core argument is pretty straightforward: dormant franchises could generate revenue again, and Microsoft would handle the technical work.
The groundwork is already visible. In July, Microsoft brought the first original Xbox titles to PC, including Blinx: The Time Sweeper (2002), Conker: Live and Reloaded (2005), Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (2003), and Fuzion Frenzy (2001), all running at up to 4x resolution upscaling.
Data miners examining the files found Microsoft’s internal emulators, Fission (Microsoft’s Xbox 360 emulator) and Fusion (the original Xbox emulator that runs inside Fission), built in. The memo therefore makes the next phase explicit: that Xbox 360 games are also heading to PC and that they will run on Project Helix.
Licensing remains the main obstacle. Titles delisted due to expired music or vehicle rights will stay unavailable unless publishers renegotiate, often a difficult task for older games because it means locating rights holders with little remaining stake in the property.
Whatever the case may be, Microsoft still expects the gradual rollout to be between 2027 and 2028.
Sources: Project Helix, Original Xbox Announcement, Verge, Hypebeast