Xbox and Ikea Unveil “YXSTABY”: A New Furniture Collection Built for Gamers

COLOGNE, Germany – Gamescom has officially opened its doors, and while the show floor is packed with the latest blockbuster demos and software trailers, one of the most surprising reveals comes from an unexpected collaboration: Xbox and Ikea. The two giants have announced a new nine-piece collection of gaming-inspired furniture and accessories, set to arrive in stores this fall.

Dubbed “YXSTABY,” the collection aims to transcend the typical “gamer chair” aesthetic, focusing instead on practical, immersive, and ergonomic design. The partnership is led by Carl Ledbetter, head of design at Xbox, a veteran with over 30 years at Microsoft who helped craft the silhouettes of the Xbox One and the current Xbox Series X|S.

A Design Philosophy Years in the Making

For Ledbetter, the jump from consoles to home furnishings feels surprisingly organic. In fact, he revealed that Xbox designers have used Ikea products as a benchmark for years.

“The piece of furniture that we use as our de facto test for any console design is the Billy bookcase from Ikea,” Ledbetter said in an exclusive interview at gamescom. “The philosophy that we share for designing products at Xbox and at Ikea are nearly identical. So it was like a love connection.”

Merging Form and Function

The YXSTABY collection includes a variety of items, ranging from chairs equipped with specialized console-controller pockets to D-pad inspired platters and “thumbstick” stools. Translating these iconic gaming shapes into functional home products was no small feat, particularly when considering Ikea’s signature flat-pack shipping model.

“The question that the Ikea designers had for me was, ‘Carl, what are the iconic elements of Xbox?’” Ledbetter explained. “We landed on the thumbstick stool because it’s such an interactive and engaging thing.”

Beyond the visuals, Ledbetter emphasized that the products are designed to solve real problems for players. The gaming chair, for instance, supports different postures—from the “leaning forward” intensity of a high-stakes match to a more relaxed position after securing a win. Similarly, the monitor stand features configurable compartments for headsets, cellphones, and cable management, all while providing ergonomic eye-level height.

Easter Eggs for the Die-Hard Fan

While the collection maintains a clean, minimalist look, Ledbetter noted that hardcore fans will find subtle nods to their favorite hardware.

“We call it the second level read, third level read,” he said. “If you look at the gaming chair, we used green stitching. It is super, super subtle, but for those who know, they’ll know.”

This attention to detail, according to Ledbetter, is part of a larger, deep-dive into how Xbox design influences the home environment. As for the future, the design chief jokingly mentioned that he would eventually love to scale his console-design philosophies even further: “It would be fun to turn [the Xbox One X design] into a home—inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater with little layers.”

The YXSTABY collection will be available for purchase at Ikea locations and online beginning this fall.