For nearly 19 years, Xbox Live has been a staple in the gaming world as the Xbox platform’s online service. Over the years it has evolved into what it is today and now its name has also received an evolution of its own with the service being rebranded as Xbox Network.
The update from ‘Xbox Live’ to ‘Xbox network’ is intended to distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold memberships.
A Microsoft spokesperson spoke to The Verge and stated that the change was to better distinguish the broader online service from some of their other services such as Game Pass. Xbox Network will refer to the general service of online functionality on the platform. Xbox Live will still exist as their paid model.
The next big change will like be to remove paid subscription requirements for free-to-play titles. Many players have addressed these concerns and wondered why something like Apex Legends is free-to-play but still requires the Xbox Live service. That will seemingly change soon thankfully. As of yet, no date has been made public for this change.
