Xbox is doing a crossover with the imminent Barbie film which will see two stylish new cars come to Forza Horizon 5, as well a special edition Xbox console and controller. Directed by Greta Gerwig, responsible for Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019), Barbie features an all-star cast, including Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, and is one of the most hotly anticipated movies of the summer.
Over the years, Xbox has partnered with different properties and franchises even outside the realm of video games. Back in 2021, Xbox made a limited edition Space Jam: A New Legacy controller. Last year's Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie prompted Xbox to make a beautiful Sonic-themed Xbox Series S, along with two blue and red fuzzy Xbox controllers. Xbox has even done the same with Series X, plastering SpongeBob and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Leonardo across the box in celebration of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl.
Now, Xbox has announced a major, multi-faceted crossover with next month's Barbie film. Part of the massive crossover involves Xbox's open world racing title Forza Horizon 5. Two Barbie-themed cars, a hot pink 1956 Chevrolet Corvette EV and Ken's silver 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup, will be available for all players to grab for free from Forza Horizon 5's in-game message center. This crossover isn't just a one way road, though. Bringing the world of Xbox into Barbie Land, Xbox helped create a lineup of ten Barbie dolls, all sporting Xbox gear and accessories as part of an international sweepstakes event.
For the final part of this stylish crossover, Xbox created a hot pink Barbie controller with four interchangable faceplates, each with their own unique design based on outfits from the upcoming Barbie film. Perhaps the centerpiece of the collaboration is a pink Xbox Series S built into a triple-tiered Barbie DreamHouse, furniture and all. The console itself sits horizontally in a shelf-like structure on the bottom of the Barbie house where there's also a small pool in the back. Both the controller and console will be up for grabs on July 10 via Xbox's Twitter and Microsoft Rewards.
While this Barbie collaboration is a fun promotion for the movie, it also marks some firsts for special edition Xbox hardware, as this is the first time seeing official Xbox controller faceplates. There's been a third-party market for them for a while now, but it seems like Xbox could possibly be looking to produce its very own, offering even more personalization without having to put entire controller designs into production. This is also the first time an official Xbox console is being built into a collectible structure, though it's unknown whether this Barbie Series S is removable from the doll house. It would be awesome to see special edition Xbox consoles like this fitted into collectibles of other games or franchises in the future.