Microsoft Retires Gaming Brand, Revives Xbox Name
▼ Summary
– Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced Microsoft is dropping the “Microsoft Gaming” name and returning to “Xbox” for its gaming division, stating “Xbox needs to be our identity.”
– The original switch to Microsoft Gaming occurred in 2022 alongside the Activision Blizzard acquisition announcement, with Phil Spencer promoted to CEO of that division.
– Sharma’s decision is part of a “return of Xbox” strategy to prioritize fans and correct past mistakes, including reversing a plan to add future Call of Duty titles to Game Pass.
– Microsoft has adopted the “return of Xbox” slogan in its offices, echoing Sharma’s February memo to employees.
– A new, less flat Xbox logo with glass effects has appeared on Microsoft’s campus, ahead of the Xbox showcase in June.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has had a packed schedule lately. Just days after unveiling an Xbox Game Pass price cut, offering an update on the Xbox mobile store, and hinting at a mysterious Xbox and Discord partnership, Sharma held an internal town hall with Xbox employees today. One major topic on the all-hands agenda: scrapping Microsoft Gaming.
According to sources familiar with the meeting, Sharma announced that Microsoft is moving away from the Microsoft Gaming brand and returning to Xbox as the name for its gaming division. “Xbox needs to be our identity,” Sharma reportedly told staff, adding that Microsoft Gaming was a departure from that core identity.
Microsoft originally adopted the Microsoft Gaming label in 2022, at the same time it revealed its plan to acquire Activision Blizzard. Phil Spencer was promoted to Microsoft Gaming CEO then, a move meant to better unify Microsoft’s gaming efforts across Xbox, PC, mobile, and cloud platforms.
Sharma’s decision to revert to the Xbox division name is part of her broader promise of a “return of Xbox.” This initiative increasingly appears designed to prioritize Xbox fans and correct past strategic missteps. Earlier this week, Sharma reversed a controversial internal decision to add future Call of Duty titles to Xbox Game Pass, a move that had been fiercely debated inside Microsoft and was widely seen as a mistake.
This week, Microsoft has plastered the “return of Xbox” slogan across its Xbox offices, alongside phrases like “great games” and “future of play.” The messaging mirrors Sharma’s initial memo to Xbox employees back in February and reflects her early efforts to make a significant impact with decisive moves on Game Pass and the Xbox platform.
A new Xbox logo has also started appearing on Microsoft’s campus this week, ahead of the Xbox showcase in June. The logo is noticeably less flat than the current design, featuring glass effects. Sources indicate Microsoft has also been using this new logo in some of its internal Project Helix materials.
(Source: The Verge)
