• News

Microsoft to officially rebrand Xbox Live as Xbox Network

Xbox has renamed its online service to Xbox Network.

Donovan Erskine

March 22, 2021 3:05 PM

5

In recent years, we’ve seen Microsoft make a strong effort to change its business outlook and approach to marketing. With these changes, and the newfound emphasis on Xbox Game Pass, many have speculated that Xbox Live may be on its way out the door. While the online service may not be going anywhere, it’s got a new identity. Microsoft has officially announced that it’s rebranding Xbox Live as Xbox Network.

This news comes from The Verge, as the outlet recently spoke to a Microsoft spokesperson that confirmed the change. “Xbox network refers to the underlying Xbox online service, which was updated in the Microsoft Services Agreement,” the spokesperson said. “The update from ‘Xbox Live’ to ‘Xbox network’ is intended to distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold memberships,” they continued. As stated in the quote, the change in branding is now reflected in the Microsoft Services Agreement.

Speculation surrounding the new branding came up over recent days when users began to notice “Xbox Network” being used instead of Xbox Live on the console. Now, the change is official. The Xbox Live branding has been around ever since the service first debuted on the original Xbox console back in 2002.

This is just the latest change to the Xbox brand that Microsoft has made. Back in January, the company stated its intent to raise the price of Gold subscriptions, quickly backtracking following backlash. They then shared that they’d be removing the requirement of a Gold subscription in order to play free-to-play games online.

As Xbox Game Pass continues to be a dominant force and a consistent winner for Microsoft, it will be interesting to see what further impacts it has on the Xbox brand.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_