[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong (홍진주)] Microsoft appears to be pushing a sweeping compatibility strategy for its next-generation Xbox that would bring together games from past console generations and PC. If successful, it could create the largest-ever Xbox game ecosystem spanning titles from the first Xbox released in 2001 through Xbox 360, Xbox One and the latest Xbox Series games.

The Verge reported on Aug. 4 that Microsoft's next Xbox project, codenamed Project Helix, is being developed to support games from existing console generations as well as PC titles.

The core idea is to integrate generation-by-generation game libraries into a single device. Microsoft is known to have prepared PC support for some early Xbox games and measures to convert Xbox One and Xbox Series disc content into digital versions.

Documents disclosed this time appear to include plans to support Xbox 360 games as well. The documents state that Xbox 360 games can run on Project Helix and on an "Xbox PC". They also say digitally converted Xbox One and Series disc content can be used on any Xbox device.

Even so, the plan does not immediately mean full backward compatibility. The biggest variable is whether physical discs will be supported. Microsoft is said not to have decided whether Helix will include a disc drive. As a result, the structure may focus on converting to digital licences rather than letting users insert a game disc and run it immediately as with existing consoles.

Another key variable is whether game publishers take part. The disclosed document is not a consumer-facing announcement but appears mainly to be a proposal aimed at persuading publishers. It includes an item titled "benefits for publishers," and Microsoft emphasised that it would provide opportunities to resell older games and convert existing physical-disc users into digital buyers. The document was also reported to include wording aimed at "converting physical disc owners into digital customers."

Still, not all games can automatically be included in Helix. For original Xbox and Xbox 360 games, publishers must decide on participation title by title.

Publishers also hold pricing authority, and they can decide individually whether to include games in Game Pass. As a result, Helix's goal of "integrating all Xbox games" is likely to produce differences by game at the time of release.

Microsoft previously sought to expand backward compatibility, but there were limits to reviving every game. Between 2015 and 2021, the games supported to run on Xbox One and Xbox Series amounted to about a quarter of the total Xbox 360 library and about 6 percent of the original Xbox library.

Even games owned in-house are not guaranteed to remain available permanently. Some Forza Horizon titles, for example, were removed from sale lists after vehicle and music licensing agreements expired. That suggests copyright and contract structures, rather than technology, could be the bigger obstacle to keeping older games on the latest devices.

Even so, Microsoft plans to strengthen game preservation features over the long term. It is also reported to be reviewing a plan to add cloud-save functionality to Xbox 360 games from 2027.

The industry sees Project Helix as a strategy that could differ from traditional console competition. It is viewed as closer to a platform strategy linking PC and consoles, and new and old games, into a single ecosystem rather than a race over performance in new titles. Still, whether the goal of the "largest-ever game library" is realised is expected to depend on how well it persuades publishers and resolves rights issues.