What you need to know
- Xbox Live refers to the underlying network technologies that have powered Xbox for nearly two decades.
- Recently, Xbox Insiders noticed that mentions of "Xbox Live" were disappearing from the Xbox console.
- Microsoft has now confirmed in a statement that Xbox Live is officially rebranded to Xbox network.
- Xbox Live Gold isn't changing right now, but the Xbox Live branding is being retired.
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 like screenshots on Xbox or view already-uploaded captures. Eagle-eyed people also noticed that the Microsoft Services Agreement was updated to remove any mentions of Xbox Live.
In a statement to the 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/E49QQzQFad pic.twitter.com/OQS1cRsrZ2Xbox network 🤔 https://t.co/E49QQzQFad pic.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 of Xbox Game Pass and its exponential growth (the list of games coming and going from Xbox Game Pass is 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 in Xbox 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 of Best 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.
