Xbox Live, Microsoft's iconic online gaming service, recently had a rebrand after almost 20 years with the same name. The newly-christened "Xbox network" is eliciting mixed feelings among the fanbase, but Microsoft has been quick to assure users that the change is primarily a descriptive one, and that it didn't signify any radical change to the service itself.
Shortly after the name "Xbox network" started appearing on beta testers' dashboards, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the change, saying that "the update from 'Xbox Live' to 'Xbox network' is intended to distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold memberships." In other words, the change is primarily focused on branding clarity, to be able to more cleanly separate news and updates about the online systems from those concerning the paid subscription service.
The company clearly felt the need to assuage any lingering concerns in the community, though, and elaborated in a statement to Eurogamer today: "Xbox Live isn't going away...None of these experiences or features will change as part of these updates." So any users worried about losing out on their subscriptions, achievements or ability to play online can rest easy. Despite fears reaching back to last summer of Xbox Live Gold being phased out, the service will live on, just under a different name.
Nevertheless, it's still a bittersweet moment for lots of gamers. Some have been playing on Xbox Live since its inception back in 2002, and the rebranding after almost two decades is stirring up a sense of nostalgic melancholy in many of them. Others wonder how the service will change going forward considering recent developments such as Microsoft's attempted price hike and the announcement that an Xbox Live Gold subscription would no longer be necessary to play free-to-play games like Fortnite.
Concerns about changes to the service aren't necessarily unfounded, either. For a while now one of Xbox Live Gold's big selling points, Games with Gold, has seen competition encroaching from Sony's PS Plus and even Microsoft's own Xbox Game Pass, so many fans are curious to see if this rebrand is a stealthy first step towards reorganizing and consolidating Microsoft's various services under a single clear umbrella. If Microsoft can combine the best elements of Games with Gold and Xbox Game Pass into a single cohesive service, it could prove extremely profitable in the long run.
Regardless of plans for the service further down the line, though, Microsoft is being absolutely clear on where players stand with it right now. The Xbox Live service is not disappearing, but rather just undergoing a makeover before re-emerging at the Xbox network. By all accounts, users will continue to be able to play online, rack up gamerscore, and access the vast amount of content available through the service.