Here's when and how to watch the "future of Xbox" event and what to expect

Today is going to be a very interesting day for the video game industry in general and for fans of Microsoft's Xbox division. There's been a ton of rumors, unconfirmed reports, and speculation about where Microsoft is going in the gaming industry. In a few hours, we may get some answers.

That's because Microsoft will be live-streaming a special episode of its official Xbox Podcast today. The company's big gaming executives are scheduled to appear, too"share updates on the Xbox business."

So, when will this special podcast episode launch, how do you access it, and what might be revealed during the event? We have that info for you right here.

When is the special "future of Xbox" podcast going to happen?

Microsoft says the special official Xbox Podcast episode will begin at noon Pacific time (3 pm Eastern time) later today, Thursday, Feb. 15.

How can I access the special podcast episode?

Microsoft has stated it will be streamed on the official Xbox YouTube channel. It will also be made available via normal online podcast outlets. We expect the YouTube version will include a video as well.

Who will appear in this special "Future of Xbox" podcast?

Microsoft has confirmed that its Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, President of Xbox Sarah Bond, and President of Game Content and Studios Matt Booty will make appearances during the podcast.

What will be revealed during the event?

That is the big question that has been debated and speculated since Spencer first hinted at this special event last week in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account. One thing does seem pretty clear: do not expect new game reveals. The matter-of-fact announcement of the special podcast episode on the official Xbox X account strongly hints that there may be some serious announcements about the future of the Xbox business at Microsoft during the event.

The big thing that we expect will be revealed is that Microsoft will be launching some of its first-party game titles that previously were only available on the Xbox and PC to other platforms, specifically to Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Switch consoles. One report claims that Hi-Fi Rush and and Pentiment will be the first such titles and that another game, Sea of Thieves, will join them later this year.

We may also get some updates on the ongoing integration of Activision Blizzard into Microsoft. The company bought the big game developer and publisher in October 2023. Still, in late January, it got hit particularly hard when Microsoft decided to lay off 1,900 team members from its gaming divisions. Many people are wondering when, or even if, we will see Activision Blizzard games show up on Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service.

Speaking of which, we may also get some news about the future of that subscription service. Microsoft has not offered any official numbers for Xbox Game Pass users in some time. The last time was in January of 2022 when it said it had 25 million subscribers.

We could also get some hints about Microsoft's future Xbox consoles and hardware devices. There have been unconfirmed reports that Spencer told Xbox employees they have no plans to exit the game console hardware business.

There also might be some news about Microsoft's plans to launch a mobile game store. The company has been working on these plans for some time, but we may get some concrete info on the store during the podcast.'

Finally, we have to say that Spencer, Bond, and Moody might have a few surprises that could come up during the podcast. We will have to see what happens. We will be watching the podcast and will report on all the major news from the event.