During the last few hours several users have noticed that the Xbox Live name has disappeared from the interface of Xbox consoles and in its place appears the Xbox network.
Microsoft changes the name of Xbox Live to Xbox network
After a series of speculations, Microsoft has put light into the darkness by confirming that from today Xbox Live is called Xbox network (with lowercase), a name change that aims to differentiate the online service from the paid subscription Xbox Live Gold.
Technically the change is minor and seems innocuous today, but at the same time, it is also a significant event in the history of the online service, which we have called Xbox Live for more than 18 years. The platform debuted with Xbox in November 2002 and has since been a spearhead for all Xbox consoles, including Xbox 360, Xbox One, and the current Xbox Series. The service also came to Windows platforms with Games for Windows – Live, which ended up disappearing in favor of the current Microsoft Store.
“The upgrade from ‘Xbox Live’ to ‘Xbox network’ is intended to distinguish the underlying service from the Xbox Live Gold subscription,” a Microsoft spokesperson has told several media. The same representative has recalled in his statement that in August last year some changes were already made to the Microsoft Service Agreement. It is not superfluous to remember that last summer Microsoft also said it had no intention of renaming Xbox Live or abandoning Xbox Live Gold.
For the time being, the one surviving without a change of name or business model is Xbox Live Gold, a service that earlier this year announced an increase in the subscription price, a decision that caused enough commotion for Microsoft to backtrack a few hours later. Also, at that time the company announced that Xbox Live Gold would no longer be a requirement for free-to-play games. For now, it is unknown when this will happen.
As of today, the Xbox Live network registers more than 100 million users per month among Xbox and Windows PC parishioners.
