Microsoft officially rebrands Xbox Live to Xbox Network. Xbox owners around the world already reported their console dashboards displaying the name Xbox Network. Microsoft apparently wanted to differentiate its longstanding online service subscription, Xbox Live, from its premium online game subscription, Xbox Live Gold. Players could spend USD 9.99 a month for an Xbox Live Gold subscription which grants access to online gaming and some free monthly games. Many wonder why Microsoft decided to name the two different services similarly in the first place. Fortunately, the new change may prove to cause less confusion for players.

GOODBYE XBOX LIVE

Xbox Live vanished from consoles everywhere but Microsoft will continue its Xbox Live Gold service. Subsequently, Microsoft moved to add Xbox Live Gold benefits into the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription pack. The Ultimate tier of the Game Pass also includes all benefits from the base Xbox Game Pass subscription. Players can get the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for USD 15 a month.

“Xbox network’ refers to the underlying Xbox online service, which was updated to the Microsoft Service Agreement. The update from ‘Xbox Live’ to ‘Xbox network’ is intended to distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold memberships.”

Companies often try to make sense of their numerous services by rebranding and renaming products. Naturally, it also comes as a side effect of offering numerous, similarly-named products or services. Subsequently, rebranding may cause initial confusion for fans accustomed to old traditions but it should work towards clarifying packages for future customers.

Trying to make something for everyone may leave online subscriptions filled with tens or hundreds of options. It's unfair to expect no similarly-named products but maybe Microsoft should work towards not needing several hundred iterations of similar services. Now, players everywhere have to study up on the new Microsoft nomenclature to avoid any confusion.