May 12 marks an important day in the history of the Xbox, as 20 years ago, the Xbox 360 console was first revealed. Microsoft adopted a very different tactic for the debut of its Xbox successor, as instead of a grand debut at an event like E3–like what Sony would do for the PlayStation 3–it instead chose to show off the console on MTV in a special event hosted by Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood.
The show even offered a musical performance by The Killers, while other famous faces included rapper Lil’ John and musician Ryan Cabrera. Microsoft was no stranger to leveraging star power at the time, as it had previously recruited Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to show off the original Xbox console alongside Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in 2001.
Called MTV Presents Xbox: The Next Generation Revealed, this was a wildly different approach when compared to how new consoles are revealed today. “Are you looking forward to the Xbox 360?” Wood asked Lil’ John during the televised show. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to getting a free one tonight,” the performer answered with brutal honesty.
Two members from MTV’s car customization show Pimp My Ride were also present for a quick interview, and the live TV event even found time to briefly focus on the games that would be coming to Xbox 360.
Microsoft wouldn’t rely on MTV for its next two console reveals, as it would show off the Xbox One in 2013 in a livestream from the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, Washington, while the Xbox Series X console was first seen during the 2019 Game Awards.
The Xbox 360 reveal is a nice little time capsule of a bygone age in video game marketing, full of then-popular faces and musicians promoting a device that would later become known for its infamous Red Ring of Death issues. A few years back, Microsoft released a documentary exploring the history of Xbox, and in case you missed it, it’s an informative look behind the scenes of the ups and downs of the console brand over the decades.
