Microsoft is rebranding Xbox Live to the Xbox network. Events of the new branding have recently started appearing in the Xbox dashboard for beta testers, with cookies being uploaded to the “Xbox network” instead of Xbox Live. Microsoft has now confirmed the name change.
“The Xbox network refers to the basic Xbox online service, which was updated in the Microsoft Services Agreement,” a Microsoft spokesman said in a statement. The edge. “The upgrade from ‘Xbox Live’ to ‘Xbox network’ is intended to differentiate the basic service from Xbox Live Gold membership.”
Microsoft has used Xbox Live to reference their basic Xbox service since its launch 18 years ago. Larry Hryb, better known as Major Nelson, has been named “Major Nelson at Xbox Live” for years, but Hryb now refers to himself as “Major Nelson at Xbox. ”
Recommendations for a name change first surfaced back in August, after Microsoft updated the Services Agreement. At the time, Microsoft said it was not rebranding the service and had no plans to discontinue Xbox Live Gold. Instead, Microsoft went on to announce price increases for Xbox Live Gold that forced the company to return quickly.
Microsoft now plans to drop the membership requirement for free-to-play games on its Xbox network in the coming months. Games like Fortnite Xbox Live Gold will no longer be needed as a result, but Microsoft has yet to confirm when the paywall will be removed.