Players may have just gotten their first glimpse at the game cases for the upcoming Xbox Series X thanks to a leak of the prototype box art for one of its premier games, Yakuza: Like a Dragon. As the next-gen console’s Holiday 2020 release draws closer, Microsoft has gone full speed ahead in promoting both the Xbox Series X itself and its cross-compatibility with the previous Xbox One console in recent months via such events as last week’s Xbox 20/20 livestream showcase.

Despite drawing the ire of certain fans for not showing any actual gameplay, the May Xbox 20/20 event featured a number of interesting titles for the Series X, including the next installment of Sega’s gritty-yet-occasionally-wacky Japanese mafia sandbox series, Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Previous reveals consisted of news that the latest Yakuza tile will feature a turn-based, JRPG-style combat system in addition to a look at its main theme song, but a more recent leak might say more about one of the consoles Yakuza: Like a Dragon is available for rather than the game itself.

Last week, prominent industry deals member Wario64 posted an image of Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s prototype Xbox Series X case on his Twitter page. The artwork shown consists of the usual logo against a black background that games usually have before their official box art is finished, while the case itself looks very similar to the previous Xbox One game cases, a green DVD-style plastic box with the Xbox logo across the top. In the upper left-hand corner is text listing both the Xbox Series X and Xbox One, and on the right is the new “Optimized for Series X” logo, both of which signify that the game is being developed with both Xbox consoles in mind.


The game case pictured above heavily references the Series X’s new Smart Delivery program, with will allow players who bought a given game such as Yakuza: Like a Dragon on Xbox One and then later purchase a Series X to be provided with a next-gen compatible version of the game for free. While Microsoft admits that not every Xbox One title will be cross-compatible with Series X or vice-versa, the company is using the transition between the two consoles as a major marketing force for the new next-gen system.

As such, it makes sense for the Xbox Series X cases to not stray too far from the Xbox One’s designs, in order to create a sense of cohesion between the two systems. This is further supported by the Series X case’s logo simply reading “Xbox” rather than be console-specific, as Microsoft may wish for players to see both the Series X and Xbox One as two parts of a single brand rather than two separate console eras. Since the games will be playable on both systems in some form or another, when a player buys a copy of Yakuza: Like a Dragon for either system, they aren’t just buying a game for Xbox One or Series X, but rather simply Xbox. In any case, fans will get the chance to hold the new Xbox Series X game cases in their hands when the system is released this Holiday Season.