Dogs play Halo Infinite, Minecraft in Microsoft Holiday Ad

Microsoft’s holiday ad is taking a worrying turn this year, as a family of distracted pet owners focus on different Microsoft products instead of their dog. Aw, poor Rufus. But Rufus makes the best of the situation, and dreams of his own adventures with his furry friends.

The dog Rufus starts the journey through the house by visiting a teenage boy who is playing Halo Infinite – originally planned for the launch of the Xbox Series X and delayed until 2021. After receiving zero pets from him, Rufus goes away to find a more grateful human being. He then finds his human mother with the help of Microsoft Teams, and receives his only pet for the entire ad. He later finds that the other two people are playing Minecraft and Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Rejected, Rufus looks out the window to discover Sam, a fellow dog who lives next door ̵

1; who has probably gone through a similar journey in his own home. After Rufus falls asleep in front of the window, we follow him into his dreams. Here Rufus lives his best life (even though he still does not receive any pets, despite playing very well).

Rufus imagines himself and his new friend Sam flying through the sky Microsoft Flight simulator before the two fall into an idyllic Minecraft world – complete with a giant fire hydrant. But not even Rufus can escape the job of his dreams, as he and Sam go to Microsoft Teams to meet Luther, Gunnar, Ruby, Ruca, Piper and more.

Image: Microsoft / YouTube

Finally, Rufus and Sam play Master Master, helping the Spartan retrieve a live grenade that he “misplaced” moments earlier.

The ad ends with the message “this holiday, find your joy.” But here at Polygon we want to add a line: “and cherish your pets.”