When you are out shopping, Xbox game cases are easily identifiable from their green color, a design Microsoft has used since the first Xbox console launched in 2001. At this current time, almost every Xbox game that is released is cross generational, meaning it will work on your old Xbox One or your new Xbox Series X or S. As we move forward in time, the Xbox One will eventually be phased out by most developers and publishers.
Through a subtle box art redesign, Microsoft is making it easier to see which systems games are compatible for. On the boxes you see now, the name “Xbox” is front and center, followed by a smaller tag that lists the systems. On the new box, the name “Xbox” is gone, and the systems are now the first thing you see in a new white box.
The original box art design:
The New Box Art Design:
Microsoft is also making it easier to see which edition you are holding. An oddly large racing stripe steals the eye and tells you whether you are getting the standard edition, premium, or whatever other deluxe version Microsoft or a publisher dreams up.
The new box art design also calls out Microsoft’s Smart Delivery system, but also a little confusion over the doubling up of Series X as a listed platform and a second logo for it being optimized for Series X. I’m guessing there are some games that don’t have that second logo, but over time, as the older hardware is phased out, it seems like all games should be tailored to the Series X.
The box art change comes quickly in the Xbox Series X’s lifecycle, much like when Sony changed its PlayStation 1 packaging from the unique (and awesome) long boxes to the standardized CD format.