Xbox Live first rolled out 18 years ago as Microsoft’s online service on the original Xbox. Now Microsoft has rebranded it to Xbox Network.
“’Xbox network’ refers to the underlying Xbox online service, which was updated in the Microsoft Services Agreement,” a Microsoft spokesperson told The Verge. “The update from ‘Xbox Live’ to ‘Xbox network’ is intended to distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold memberships.”
What does that mean for Xbox Network and Xbox Live Gold? Don’t worry, Microsoft says. No changes are coming to the “experience of the service or Xbox Live Gold.”
My Take
This is Microsoft’s latest attempt to change something that didn’t really need to be changed. They’ve rebranded their browser, search engine, Hotmail, and other services. And while I don’t really care if it’s called Xbox Live, it does annoy me that they chose to stylize the rebranded online service with a lower case N.