The Xbox 360 Could Have Been Named the Xbox 3

Turns out Microsoft did a full 180 on the Xbox 360.

Alex Avard

Published: Jul 25, 2016 02:49 pm

This article is over 8 years old and may contain outdated information

In an interview on IGN Unfiltered, former Chief Xbox Officer Robbie Bach revealed that the Xbox 360 wasn’t always going to be called the Xbox 360.

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In fact, Microsoft considered a number of options for what to name their second console, including the “Xbox 3”, before deciding on the title it is now known as.

Speaking to IGN, Bach admitted that “Certainly Xbox 3 was actually on the list because, well, you’ve gotta catch up. You don’t want to be Xbox 2 compared to PlayStation 3. We actually talked about that.”

“You don’t want to feel like you’re a generation behind, so why not skip?” he explained, “Microsoft has a long history of skipping numbers.”

This includes, Bach added, the company’s decision to jump from Windows 8 to Windows 10 in 2015.

No information was revealed on whether Bach could explain why Microsoft decided to name their third console as the Xbox One, but the full interview is set to air tomorrow on IGN.

The Xbox 360 was released in 2005, and went on to become the leader in current-generation home console sales until June 2008, when Nintendo’s Wii surpassed it.

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Author

Alex Avard

Alex was a freelance writer for Twinfinite in 2016 who focused on covering all sorts of video game news. He is a British geek with an unhealthy appetite for video games, movies and politics. As such, you can expect to find plenty of sarcasm, pretentiousness and acerbic wit layered throughout his writing. He also finds it kind of awkward to refer to himself in the third person like this.