Microsoft may soon stop marketing its Xbox Series X|S consoles in ‘certain markets’ in Europe, ​according to a report from Tom Warren at The Verge.

Microsoft reportedly stop marketing Xbox consoles in Europe

Warren wrote in his The Verge newsletter, citing a tipster, that the Redmond giant will halt console advertising in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) markets to focus only on Game Pass subscriptions, cloud gaming through xCloud, PC gaming, and Xbox controllers.

The tipster suggests that Microsoft’s decision to scale back its marketing efforts in Europe is a response to the declining sales of Xbox Series X/S consoles in many EMEA countries. However, Warren hasn’t been able to verify this information thoroughly.

“In May, I received a tip that Microsoft is changing up its Xbox strategy for the new financial year in regions like Europe, Africa, Middle East. I haven’t been able to fully verify this, but the tipster claimed Microsoft will stop marketing Xbox consoles in certain markets in EMEA and focus only on Game Pass, cloud gaming, PC, and Xbox controllers. Microsoft has been struggling to sell Xbox Series S / X consoles in many countries across EMEA, and the tipster believes Microsoft will now allocate less console stock to Europe as a result. If you’ve heard more, please let me know,” says Warren (and Reddit, who transcribed the newsletter).

Microsoft’s recent announcement of a partnership with Amazon to bring Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming to select Amazon Fire TV devices is a clear indication of the company’s evolving strategy. By advertising that players won’t need an Xbox console to enjoy Xbox titles on their Fire TV hardware, Microsoft is potentially opening up a new, more accessible gaming experience for its users.

Besides this, the company is set to increase the price of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription service in September. It also introduced a new “Standard” subscription plan, which won’t include day-one access to first-party Xbox games. Starting September 12th, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription will be priced at $19.99 per month, a $3 increase from the existing $16.99.

It’s important to remember that this is a report, and as such, it should be approached with a degree of caution. Microsoft has not yet officially confirmed any plans to wind down Xbox console sales in the EMEA market. We encourage you to stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.