«The next evolution» of Xbox game backward compatibility is currently in the works, according to a newly surfaced job listing. This revelation lines up with what Microsoft has recently been saying about its big-picture plans for future Xbox backward compatibility.
Microsoft has long been advocating for game preservation, characterizing classic titles as vital pieces of entertainment history that should be accessible to future generations. To that end, the company announced the formation of an Xbox team dedicated to future-proofing game libraries in April 2024.
The Xbox game future-proofing division now appears to be hiring, according to an early May 2025 job ad. The listing, originally spotted by Pure Xbox, advertises the position of a Principal Software Engineer. Helping identify the technical requirements and «security boundaries for protecting game content» is listed as one of the role’s key responsibilities. The listing also says that the hire would be tasked with building emulation solutions that are safe and scalable, characterizing the ideal candidate as someone who would contribute to «the next evolution in Xbox game compatibility.»
Microsoft's Game Preservation Efforts Are About the Present More Than the Past
While the technology that Microsoft is currently working on is inherently tied to backward compatibility, it’s worth noting that the company’s game preservation efforts are focused on the present more than the past. The Xbox division that the group formed in 2024 is mainly dedicated to future-proofing current games. That’s not to say its work couldn’t potentially support bringing older titles to modern platforms, but that isn’t its primary objective.
Looking at the company’s near-future platform plans, Microsoft is expected to continue redefining the boundaries of its gaming ecosystem for the time being. This is something that it started doing in 2024, when it launched its «This is an Xbox» campaign, which emphasized the platform-agnostic nature of its offerings. According to a March 2025 report by industry insider Jez Corden, the Xbox Series X/S successor will essentially be a PC with a «TV-friendly» shell. Such a device could significantly streamline software production, as developers would likely be able to use a unified SDK to make both PC and Xbox games. Assuming that’s indeed the plan, whatever Microsoft’s «evolution in Xbox game compatibility is,» it’s likely to include PC.
Cloud support is another likely component of the new backward compatibility layer that’s currently in the works at Microsoft. Over the past several years, Xbox Cloud Gaming has gradually been expanding in functionality, with one of its biggest recent additions being support for streaming owned games, which was introduced in November 2024. Emulation would pair well with this feature, further underlining Microsoft’s «everything is an Xbox» messaging.
Xbox Series X
