The Xenia Canary development team has officially stated that it is not working with Microsoft on the rumored Xbox Classics program. This statement was shared via the team’s official Discord server, dispelling any rumors linking the popular Xbox 360 emulator to Microsoft’s efforts to bring classic games to current platforms.
While some had speculated about a partnership, the Xenia team made it clear that they are not involved with Microsoft in any capacity.
According to the Xenia team, Microsoft has its own emulation technology for providing backward compatibility on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, and thus, there is no need for collaboration with Xenia. The team also suggested that any potential Xbox Classics program coming to PC would likely rely on Microsoft’s in-house technology, rather than the work being done by the Xenia development team.
Despite the Xenia team’s clarification, rumors surrounding the Xbox Classics program have not been fully quelled. The original leaker of the information has doubled down on the claim, suggesting that the program is indeed in the works and will be officially unveiled next year in time for Xbox’s 25th anniversary. While this remains speculative, the official statement from Xenia casts doubt on the authenticity of the original claims.
At this point, the confusion about the potential Xbox Classics program persists, with no official word from Microsoft yet. However, fans are still eagerly anticipating the possible return of classic Xbox games, whether through emulation or another official method.