After some speculation following a few instances of “Xbox network” appearing on the Xbox UI, Xbox has confirmed that they are renaming their nearly two decade old online service to Xbox network.
Dashboard no longer refers to it as Xbox Live pic.twitter.com/nVf0BQ9ABl
— EvilBoris (@EvilBoris) March 20, 2021
In a report from Tom Warre at The Verge, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the change, saying that “The update from ‘Xbox Live’ to ‘Xbox network’ is intended to distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold memberships”.
This makes sense, although it will take some time to stop calling the service Xbox Live. As Xbox moves beyond just being a console, the Xbox online service being rebranded can simplify things. Xbox Live is often associated with the console itself or Xbox Live Gold, so going forward Xbox network can clearly distinguish itself as the online connectivity of Xbox.
