Today’s announcement from Microsoft, citing the end of Xbox Live and the beginning of Xbox Network, marked the end of an era beginning in 2002 with the original Xbox. While there were several online services for console gaming in the past, Xbox Live was one of the first major services to set the foundation towards modern online console gaming. It was a huge marketing point for Microsoft to promote, with several titles including Halo 2 being one of many to take advantage of the service.
After almost 18 years, the decision to change the name from Xbox Live to Xbox Network came with more promises that the service Xbox fans know and love would go through a major overhaul. While details are scarce, several free-to-play games, like Fortnite, wouldn’t require an Xbox Live Gold pass in the future. Details including the infrastructure, including deciding the name of the various tiers of the Xbox Network or there will be dedicated tiers, are just as scarce.
Players who grew up with Xbox Live have had conflicting emotions regarding the change to the Xbox Network, some reflecting on their experiences dating as far back as the original Xbox. For many, Xbox was their first experience in online gaming with Microsoft hosting many betas during its infancy. Gamertag Radio’s Danny Peña shared his Xbox Live beta disc, featuring Re-Volt Live, the online version of Acclaim’s arcade RC racer.
What was special about this beta disc was that Re-Volt Live was the first Xbox game to support Live, with the beta disc itself being a collector’s item due to its rarity. Several Xbox Live fans also reminisce about their achievement hunting experience, which alongside Sony’s trophy system, gave players an incentive to get the most out of their games. One Live user who was notorious for being the first player with a million gamerscore, Stallion83, showed off his lifetime Gold membership that Microsoft awarded him for his feat.
What’s bittersweet about this accomplishment and the award, as Stallion83 would tweet, is due to the shift from Xbox Live to Xbox Network. Microsoft had made attempts to preserve his lifetime Gold benefits, but Stallion83 explains that since the Gold membership was hardcoded into his Live account, his benefits will expire once his account transfers to the new Xbox Network.
Other fans have humorously picked up the similarities between Microsoft’s name change and Sony’s name for its online service, PlayStation Network. Sony’s PlayStation Network released in 2006, four years after Xbox Live, and was thought to be similar to Xbox Live at the time. With the name change to Xbox Network, fans were quick to create memes relating to the irony.
While fans share their memories, memes, and concerns for the future of Microsoft’s Xbox rebranding, the Live service had affected the lives of many players both old and young. While Microsoft has yet to report further details regarding the new Xbox Network amid rumors of other announcements, the Xbox Live service will live on in many gamers’ hearts.
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