Xbox users were in for a surprise a couple of days ago. Xbox Live changed its name to Xbox Network.
Microsoft’s gaming platform online services began to appear under this new name for some Beta users.
A sudden name change, without prior announcement
This platform, which dates from 2002, will definitively deploy this name change during the next time, according to what Microsoft has indicated.
Xbox network refers to the Xbox online service, which has recently been updated in Microsoft’s terms of servicea company spokesperson pointed out in conversation with The Verge.
Xbox network https://t.co/E49QQzQFad pic.twitter.com/OQS1cRsrZ2
– Tom Warren (@tomwarren) March 21, 2021
As the attached tweet points out, some users of the Insider program, which allows testing of certain features in development, were the first to report the name change. When uploading game clips to the cloud, the destination was identified as Xbox Network, rather than Xbox Live.
The first ideas about a possible name change originally appeared in August, after Microsoft updated its Service Agreement. At the time, Microsoft noted that it was not changing the name of the service and that it had no plans to discontinue Xbox Live Gold. Instead, Microsoft’s announcement came down primarily to a price hike for Xbox Live Gold, which the company was forced to quickly reverse.
Now, Microsoft is preparing to remove the mandatory subscription requirement to play some free-to-play games. This would allow users to play certain titles without any type of paid subscription, setting an important precedent for this family of consoles that, andn compared to its competing counterparts, it is at a disadvantage with respect to its offering of free games that support multiplayer.
This platform operates under two modes. The Silver service is free and the Gold service has a subscription cost. The second mode provides access to an extended catalog of content, a voice messaging platform, multiplayer capabilities, cloud storage, connection with third-party apps and other options.
The name change applies to the category of payment services, which until recently was known as Xbox Live Gold, as a distinction between the two services.
To date, Xbox Network works in several languages, in more than 40 countries and attracting more than 90 million users registered on its platform.
