Microsoft is changing the brand of Xbox Live to the Xbox network. Instances of the new brand have recently started appearing on the Xbox dashboard for beta testers, with clips being uploaded to the “Xbox network” instead of Xbox Live. Microsoft has now confirmed the name change.
“‘Xbox Network’ refers to the underlying Xbox online service, which has been updated in the Microsoft Services Agreement,” said a Microsoft spokesman in a statement to The Verge. “The upgrade from ‘Xbox Live’ to ‘Xbox network’ aims to distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold subscriptions.”
Microsoft has used Xbox Live to refer to the underlying Xbox service since its original release 18 years ago. Larry Hryb, better known as Major Nelson, has been known as “Major Nelson on Xbox Live” for years, but Hryb now refers to himself as “Major Nelson on Xbox”.
Tips for a name change originally appeared in August, after Microsoft updated its Services Agreement. At the time, Microsoft said it was not renaming the service and had no plans to discontinue Xbox Live Gold. Instead, Microsoft announced an increase in the price of Xbox Live Gold that the company was forced to roll back quickly.
Microsoft is now planning to drop the subscription requirement for free games on its Xbox network in the coming months. Games like Fifteen days will no longer require Xbox Live Gold as a result, but Microsoft has yet to confirm exactly when paid access will be removed.