Microsoft officially ends ‘Xbox Live’ brand, changes to ‘Xbox network’
The change from “Xbox Live” to “Xbox network” is official.
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What you need to know
Xbox Live is a well-known brand that has been synonymous with Xbox online since the console’s debut 18 years ago. However, Xbox Insiders recently began noticing that mentions of the Xbox Live brand disappeared from the Xbox Dashboard, most noticeably when trying to upload and share game captures likescreenshots on Xboxor view already-uploaded captures. Eagle-eyed people also noticed that theMicrosoft Services Agreementwas updated to remove any mentions of Xbox Live.
In a statement tothe Verge, Microsoft has officially confirmed speculations: Xbox Live is being rebranded to Xbox network, and the long-running brand is being retired.
Xbox network 🤔https://t.co/E49QQzQFadpic.twitter.com/OQS1cRsrZ2Xbox network 🤔https://t.co/E49QQzQFadpic.twitter.com/OQS1cRsrZ2— Tom Warren (@tomwarren)March 21, 2021March 21, 2021
From a Microsoft spokesperson: “‘Xbox network’ refers to the underlying Xbox online service, which was updated in the Microsoft Services Agreement. The update from ‘Xbox Live’ to ‘Xbox network’ is intended to distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold memberships.”
In recent years, the importance of the Xbox Live brand has diminished significantly in the wake ofXbox Game Passand its exponential growth (the list ofgames coming and going from Xbox Game Passis huge). With this change, the Xbox Live Gold subscription, which lets gamers play online multiplayer games on Xbox, isn’t going away or being altered at all. Still, even Xbox Live Gold has lessened in importance with its inclusion inXbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is one of the best values in gaming, and combines a ton of different benefits in one. Get the most out of your subscription by checking out our list ofBest Games for Xbox Game Pass.
All your gaming needs, in one subscription.
Is the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate the best value in all of gaming? It’s possible. Ultimate bundles your Xbox Live Gold subscription, an Xbox Game Pass subscription for both Xbox consoles and Windows PCs, and Xbox Cloud Gaming for on-the-go. That means access to hundreds of games, with more added all the time, for a single monthly subscription cost.
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Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter@BoddyZachary.
