Microsoft has announced that Xbox players will no longer be able to access a console feature due to the recent changes in the Twitter API, according to a recent update. Twitter has undergone significant changes in the past few months following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform in October 2022. As part of Musk’s changes, the platform’s API handling for third-party stakeholders has been modified, and it seems that Xbox players have been impacted by these changes.
Twitter has been at the center of various controversial changes lately, with its new API access policies being one of the most talked-about. According to the new policy, access to Twitter’s API will be provided through paid tiers, with large enterprises like Microsoft having to shell out as much as $42,000 per month to gain access. Consequently, Microsoft recently announced that it is dropping Twitter from its advertising platform effective April 25. Microsoft’s decision not to pay the hefty sum of $42,000 per month also means that certain Twitter integrations with platforms like Xbox consoles will no longer be available.
Microsoft’s official Xbox team on Twitter confirmed that Twitter’s API changes have caused them to disable the feature that allowed Xbox players to share their game content directly to Twitter from Xbox consoles and the Windows Game Bar. This is not the first instance of a gaming entity disabling features due to the Twitter changes, as World of Warcraft also removed Twitter integrations back in February.
Game Clips Can Still Be Shared Via Twitter
However, Xbox players can still share their game clips to Twitter using the Xbox mobile apps on both Android and iOS devices.
It’s worth mentioning that Twitter’s recent API policy changes are just one of many questionable decisions made since Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform. In December, Twitter announced restrictions on cross-promotion of other social media platforms, and began removing accounts, tweets, and posts related to third-party platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Mastadon. Twitter also announced a ban on accounts or tweets using link aggregators like linktr.ee and lnk.bio. More recently, Twitter has taken a similar approach to Substack.
Gamers may not be pleased with the news that they can no longer share gaming content directly from Xbox consoles and Windows to Twitter. Nevertheless, Microsoft has been striving to expand its gaming offerings to users, evident in the company’s recent gaming partnerships and potential Windows 11 handheld gaming mode.
What are your thoughts on the feature being excluded? Let us know in the comments section and speaking of Twitter, make sure to give us a follow on there to stay right up to date on the games latest news.