Xbox One apparently sees itself as the console for the ultimate underdog — Rocky Balboa — in a 30-second YouTube spot it put out Monday.
While "Xbox One: Best Games" probably was conceived, created and approved well before last week, it airs at a time when the console is figuratively on the ropes. Despite a hot holiday start, Xbox One has been outsold by its PlayStation 4 rival in North America for the past six months, according to the market research firm NPD. Further, Microsoft just announced the largest round of layoffs in company history, with the closure of the ambitious Xbox One Entertainment division — after little more than a year in operation — among the dismissals.
So, here's Rocky Balboa to rally the troops. The quote comes from this scene in 2006's Rocky Balboa, in which the boxer's son tries to talk him out of fighting a much younger Mason "The Line" Dixon.
Update: Polygon reached out to Microsoft on the off-chance there was some subtext to this particular advertisement. We received the following statement from a spokesperson:
The ad campaign highlights the games coming to Xbox One this holiday — the largest and most critically-acclaimed lineup of games for Holiday 2014 honored at this year's E3. Xbox One is the only place to play the best exclusives and all of the biggest blockbusters of the year. The ad pays tribute to the competitive spirit of gamers and celebrates how gamers rise to the challenge in a game. We're excited about the amazing games coming to Xbox One this year and look forward to playing with Xbox fans around the world.
Of the games shown, Xbox One-exclusive Sunset Overdrive launches Oct. 28. Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a high-definition anthology of the first four games in the series, arriving Nov. 11. Assassin's Creed Unity launches Oct. 28 and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare launches Nov. 4, and both will also be available on PlayStation.
