As the holidays rapidly approach, it almost seems tradition to expect some cute, holiday-themed commercials from a variety of companies. While most of these commercials may feature Santa or a gathering of friends and family, Microsoft opted for a different and arguably even better approach this year: dogs.Â
The wholesome commercial features dogs at home simply seeking attention from their owners, who are preoccupied with their own Microsoft products, whether on a video conference call, playing Halo, busy creating in Minecraft, or immersing themselves in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The commercial then presents a cute dream sequence, featuring the dogs flying planes, playing fetch with Halo’s Master Chief, frolicking in Windows’ famous Bliss wallpaper, and more.
As the dogs experience their wildest dreams to Supergrass' 1995 hit song, "Alright," it's just the kind of content that those stressed about going into the holiday season need. After all, who wouldn't want to see how dogs would play fetch with Master Chief, even if what they are fetching him is a grenade?
With Microsoft's CEO just recently stating that the company wants to focus on gaming, it's no surprise that some of the company's best-selling franchises take center stage in the holiday commercial. The release of the company's 2020 iteration of its own flight simulator back in August was a huge hit, and though Microsoft's purchase of Minecraft happened some time ago now, the company has made it clear that that the best-selling video game of all time is a top priority for them.
Additionally, the appearance of Halo's Master Chief is sure to remind some gamers to get their hands on the new Xbox Series X just in time for the release of the series' highly anticipated next-gen installment, Halo Infinite, even if the new console is nearly impossible to find without encountering some sort of shenanigans right now. And as COVID-19 has impacted the way a lot of people work, forcing them to work their jobs remotely from home, Microsoft made sure to include a quick cut of the dogs and some friends barking away on what we could only assume was an incredibly important video conference call on Microsoft Teams.
Shocking many with its acquisition of ZeniMax Media and its studios back in September, it's safe to assume that Microsoft has some big plans for 2021. But for now, as one of the most unpredictable years in recent times finally comes to a close, at least gamers can rest assured that their dogs dream of being in video games just as much as they do.