World News – AU – Music: Dog Kills Master Chief in Microsoft’s 2020 Vacation Ad

Microsoft has released a new vacation ad. Unsurprisingly, it’s a dog flying an airplane and blowing up the Master Chief.

The 90-second commercial starts with a dog, Rufus, searching for attention around the house and realizing the family is busy (on Microsoft hardware and software, natch). . He stares out the window at the neighbor dog Sam – presumably a friend who cannot see due to the current COVID-19 pandemic – and then falls asleep.

Things are going much better for Rufus in his dog dream, which is set in Supergrass’ « Alright ». He spends time with his dog using various Microsoft products like Microsoft Teams, Minecraft, and Halo Infinite (though that doesn’t come out this vacation). . And yes, Rufus is even forging the Master Chief, though it’s more of a hilarious accident than a cold-blooded murder.

It’s a totally strange ad, at least on the surface, albeit charming. The goal is to clearly emphasize that Microsoft technologies and platforms can bring us together at a time when we need to be physically separate.

Dig a little deeper though and it will slowly get dark. The whole family ignores themselves in their little worlds and neglects their dog. Surely they should at least pull the plug a little to spend time together on vacation. And why is mom forced to be in a meeting so late at night? Has the new work-from-home environment removed all reasonable boundaries between your work and private life? Sure, someone has to work to feed Dad and the kid’s gambling addiction, but the whole arrangement doesn’t seem very healthy.

Seriously, one thing that is noteworthy about this announcement is the emphasis it places on gaming as an integral part of Microsoft today. Though teams from Microsoft, Windows, and hardware like the Surface nod, they’re not the focus. Halo, Minecraft, and Microsoft Flight Simulator really rank high here, and a lot of the posts seem to suggest that Microsoft has games on multiple platforms.

Given the focus of gaming, perhaps the strangest thing is the lack of the Xbox Series X. The son is playing an S series. In a recent interview, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer said the company has actually built more X-series consoles than S-series consoles, although it may change its strategy in the future.

This announcement shows that by 2020 Microsoft sees itself as a company that sees cross-platform gaming as a central element of its identity. This is a good sign for Xbox fans. This is a sign of a rethink from seven years ago when Microsoft was considering completely abandoning its gaming brand.

Halo Infinite, 343 Industries, Xbox One, Microsoft Corporation, Master Chief