Microsoft renames Xbox Live to Xbox network and Xbox Live Gold remains

Microsoft is going to rename Xbox Live to Xbox Network. That has already happened in a beta of the Xbox dashboard. According to Microsoft, that should make the distinction with Xbox Live Gold clearer. That subscription will continue to exist under that name.

Microsoft confirms the name change to The Verge, saying it’s being done to make a clearer distinction between mainstream Xbox network services and the Xbox Live Gold subscription. Xbox Live has been the name under which various online features of Xbox consoles fall for 18 years and all users have access to it. A paid Xbox Live Gold subscription is required for online multiplayer features.

There were recently several indications that Microsoft would change the name. This is what Xbox Insiders noted that the new dashboard no longer refers to Xbox Live as where, for example, screenshots are stored. The Xbox network naming has already been implemented in the beta. Xbox Live CEO Larry Hryb also recently changed his Twitter profile. It used to say ‘Xbox Live’s Major Nelson’, but that has changed to ‘Xbox’s Major Nelson’.

There have been rumors for some time that Microsoft wants to stop Xbox Live Gold altogether and only offer the functionality via Game Pass, for example, but that has not yet been confirmed. Last year, Microsoft stopped selling Xbox Live Gold annual subscriptions. Those annual subscriptions are still available from other providers.

In late January, Microsoft announced a price increase for Xbox Live Gold, but it was reversed after much criticism. Also, in rolling back the price increase, Microsoft said that Xbox Live Gold will soon no longer be needed for playing free-to-play multiplayer games such as Fortnite. It is not yet clear when this will be implemented.

Image from The Verge journalist Tom Warren on Twitter