Microsoft is rebranding Xbox Live to Xbox network. Examples of the new branding began showing up in the Xbox dashboard as of late for beta testers, with cuts being uploaded to “Xbox network” rather than Xbox Live. Microsoft has now affirmed the name change.
“’Xbox network’ refers to the underlying Xbox online service, which was updated in the Microsoft Services Agreement,” says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge. “The update from ‘Xbox Live’ to ‘Xbox network’ is intended to distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold memberships.”
Microsoft has utilized Xbox Live to refer to its basic Xbox service since its unique dispatch 18 years prior. Larry Hryb, otherwise called Major Nelson, has been known as “Xbox Live’s Major Nelson” for quite a long time, yet Hryb currently alludes to himself as “Xbox’s Major Nelson.”
Hints at a name change initially showed up back in August, after Microsoft updated its Services Agreement. At that point, Microsoft said it wasn’t rebranding the help and had no designs to cease Xbox Live Gold. All things being equal, Microsoft proceeded to report a price hike for Xbox Live Gold that the organization had to rapidly reverse.
Microsoft is presently planning to drop the subscription requirement for free-to-play games on its Xbox network in the coming months. Games like Fortnite will at this point don’t need Xbox Live Gold accordingly, however Microsoft hasn’t yet affirmed precisely when the paywall will be removed.
