Microsoft is bringing back Xbox as the official name of its gaming division.
The move scraps the “Microsoft Gaming” brand in a move focused on connecting with the company’s roots and reestablishing the company’s gaming identity.
The announcement was made by Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who revealed it on Thursday, April 23, during an internal town hall meeting with employees.
Sharma said: “Xbox has to be our identity.”
Microsoft originally adopted the Microsoft Gaming trademark back in 2022 when it revealed its intentions to acquire Activision Blizzard. At that time, Phil Spencer was elevated to the role of CEO of Microsoft Gaming to help Microsoft present its gaming initiatives on Xbox, PC, mobile and cloud platforms.
The adoption of the Microsoft Gaming name follows the promise of the “return of Xbox”, which is centered on prioritizing the Xbox community and reversing past mistakes.
Earlier Thursday, Shar,a and Xbox president Matt Body sent a memo to all Xbox employees titled, “We are Xbox.”
“The industry is becoming global and competitive. More than half of the market’s revenue, players and growth is happening outside our core markets. But the rest of the world is not just a big market. Developers there are increasingly competing with the most established Western studios, combining scale, speed and a willingness to reinvent genres that many once considered mature,” the note.
“Xbox will be where the world plays and creates. We will build a global platform that connects gamers and creators everywhere. The console is the foundation and delivers a premium experience, and the cloud brings that experience to every device,” it added.
What changes
There are additional features along with rebranding:
- Price reduction for Xbox Game Pass was announced this week
- There will be no Call of Duty games available on Game Pass anymore – contrary to previous plans
- A new Xbox logo with glass effects was spotted at Microsoft headquarters
The “North Star” on Xbox going forward would be “daily active players,” according to the memo. The team also wants to rethink their strategies regarding exclusivity, windows and artificial intelligence.
