Six Years Ago This Week, Xbox Suffered The Most ‘Frustrating’ Leak In Their History
Six years ago this week in September 2020, Microsoft officially announced the Xbox Series S, the company’s lower-cost companion console to the more powerful Xbox Series X. However, what should have been a carefully orchestrated reveal turned into one of Xbox’s most “frustrating” PR moments when images of the console unexpectedly appeared on social media on the morning of September 8th, 2020.
Prior to the official announcement, industry rumors had been circulating about a console codenamed “Lockhart” in development at Microsoft. The Xbox Series X had been publicly known about for considerably longer, but the existence of a less expensive alternative console remained speculative until the accidental leak. When the images surfaced on social media, Microsoft quickly moved to formally announce the Xbox Series S to regain control of the narrative.
The console launched in November 2020 alongside the Xbox Series X, with the Series S positioned as an entry-level option with a $249 price point. The premature leak denied Microsoft the opportunity to manage the announcement on their own terms and build anticipation through a controlled reveal. This incident has since been characterized as a defining moment in Xbox’s recent history, illustrating the challenges modern hardware companies face in maintaining secrecy during product development and launch planning.