Microsoft Gaming is no more: Xbox reclaims its name amid exclusivity shifts and industry pressure
The move marks a symbolic return to the brand’s roots after years of structural realignment.
Xbox has been making major changes all week, and it’s still only Thursday. After announcing earlier this week a price cut for the higher tiers of Xbox Game Pass, another significant move was confirmed today: Asha Sharma, CEO of the division, along with Chief Content Officer Matt Booty, announced that the brand is dropping the name “Microsoft Gaming” and will once again operate simply as Xbox.
In a memo shared on Xbox Wire, Sharma and Booty announced this change to the community, acknowledging the players’ sentiments. “Players are frustrated,” the statement reads. “Our best work happens when the full stack moves together. ‘Microsoft Gaming’ describes our structure, but it does not describe our ambition. So, we are going back to where we started and changing our team’s name. We are Xbox.”
It was in 2022 that the division adopted the name Microsoft Gaming, at a pivotal moment for the company, coinciding with the start of the process to acquire Activision Blizzard, which would be finalized two years later.
A Shift for Exclusives as Well
In addition to acknowledging the critical challenges facing the industry, the memo also hints at potential adjustments to the exclusivity strategy. “Along the way, we will reevaluate our approach to exclusivity, windowing, and AI, and share more as we learn and decide.” In recent years, Xbox has begun bringing several of its most important franchises—as well as new IPs—to other platforms, with releases such as Forza, Sea of Thieves, Gears of War, Flight Simulator, Grounded, and Starfield outside its traditional ecosystem.
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What other changes will Xbox see in the future? The company is clear that there is still much to be done to return to those days of the Xbox 360, but the most important is how these words will translate into actions.
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