Microsoft has revealed it is taking some major steps towards improving its Xbox Insider Program. Specifically, it stated it has begun what it calls a "months-long transformation" that will result in what the company says will be a restructuring of its community platform.
In a post on the Xbox Wire site, Microsoft stated:
The near future will mostly be focused on foundational clean-up and setting the stage for everything in our pipeline. We’ve been working behind the scenes to dust off some cobwebs, rattle some bones, and get the (fully digital) hamster wheels turning again.
The post added that during these changes, Xbox Insider posts, content, and social media updates "might be in flux while we address everything."
The post also says that Microsoft knows that members of the Xbox Insider Program want some big improvements in terms of communicating with its members. It stated:
We could put something here about “business realities” or “things beyond our control” but we won’t. We created, and have been leaning on, a system which—from an outside perspective—feels more akin to a token suggestion box than a true community platform. That’s on us. We understand the frustrations being expressed and we’ll be discussing with everyone more about the first actionable steps in our plans shortly.
The post concluded by saying the Xbox Inside team is "is more energized than ever" and, "We can’t wait to show everyone what we have in store."
The Xbox Insider Program first launched in 2014, and has become a way for people to test new features on its Xbox consoles, along with the Xbox app for Windows PCs, before they are made generally available to all users.
Recently, Insiders got a chance to preview a new Xbox app update for Windows, that included, among other things, some UI improvements, and a new "Compact mode" that was made for PCs with smaller screens like the ASUS Rog Ally and other Windows-based portable gaming devices.