The new Xbox logo is reminiscent of the old days.
Credit: Microsoft
Microsoft has dumped its Microsoft Gaming brand, bringing its global games business back under the Xbox name. The division’s new CEO, Asha Sharma, says the previous name described an internal structure, but Xbox better reflects how people see its offerings. Together, executives describe this change as a fresh start for how Xbox works across consoles, PCs, mobile devices, and cloud services.
In a blog post published Thursday, Sharma outlined a set of principles that will guide the division moving forward. Xbox will treat daily active players as its main yardstick, focusing on how many people play every day rather than on hardware sales or subscription counts. It makes sense, then, that the brand just reduced the prices on some of its Game Pass subscriptions: The cheaper a streaming membership is, the easier it is for gamers to log on more often.
Leadership also highlights four priorities: hardware, content, experience, and services. That means it’ll sink resources into consoles and other devices, first‑party games and partnerships, the console and PC user experience, and services like Game Pass and cloud access.
Sharma acknowledged that many players feel frustrated by pricing, game release strategies, and the brand’s slow progress on console software. She noted that Xbox needs to be more honest about its market position and more responsive to user feedback, which could be refreshing if the brand actually follows through.
Finally, Xbox is returning with a new logo. It’s also using the message “We Are Xbox” to bring all parts of the division together under one identity.
