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Xbox PC App Update References Unconfirmed 'Project Saluki' Codename Related to China
Microsoft's latest Xbox PC app update contains references to Project Saluki, described internally as a China market expansion for Game Pass, Rewards, and subscription tiers. The discovery comes as the company already sells Xbox consoles in China but does not offer Game Pass there. The app update also mentions the Positron codename linked to disc-to-digital conversion plans.
May 13, 7:53 AM·1m read1 source
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References to Project Saluki were discovered in a recent update to the Xbox PC app this week. Microsoft describes the codename Project Saluki as China market expansion for Game Pass, Rewards, and subscription tiers. The Verge reported that while Microsoft offers a variety of games in China through Activision Blizzard, it does not currently make Xbox Game Pass available in the country.
Microsoft sells Xbox consoles in China and first launched the Xbox One in China in 2014. That 2014 Xbox One launch in China was the first video game console launch in the country after a 14-year government ban on game consoles. The Chinese Xbox store has a much smaller catalog of games because titles must be approved by Chinese regulators.
This regulatory requirement has complicated past efforts to introduce Xbox Game Pass to China. Project Saluki may offer a smaller selection of games tailored for this unique market. Microsoft’s Xbox PC app also mentions the Positron codename.
The Positron codename is said to enable Disc2Digital. Microsoft was planning to convert disc games into digital licenses with the Xbox One. Microsoft abandoned its original disc-to-digital plans for the Xbox One due to backlash from publishers and game resellers.
The company has increasingly pushed toward discless hardware since then. Microsoft launched an all-digital Xbox Series S console in 2020 and a discless Xbox Series X console in white in 2024. Windows Central speculated that Positron could prepare for Project Helix, Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox console.
