Microsoft Corporation is abandoning the name of its Microsoft Gaming division in favor of the historic Xbox brand with a new (but nostalgic) logo.
Microsoft Corporation is abandoning the name of its Microsoft Gaming division in favor of the historic Xbox brand with a new (but nostalgic) logo.
According to The Verge, these changes are part of a new «return to Xbox» strategy being implemented by the division’s CEO, Asha Sharma. «Xbox needs to be our identity,» she said in internal meetings, emphasizing that the previous name Microsoft Gaming diluted the brand.
The company has already seen updated slogans on the walls of its offices, and a new logo has been introduced on campus. It has become less «flat» and has acquired a glass effect. This design also appears in internal documents of the mysterious Project Helix. To gamers, the new logo reminded them of the first Xbox logo and the design of the Halo Special Edition console.
El Nuevo Logo de Xbox 🥹 pic.twitter.com/uKvNyNhNSd
— @LuisValLe (@LuisValLe_A) April 23, 2026
Alongside the rebranding, it was announced that Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition would be launched. According to a leak from Discord Previews and information from developer Better xCloud, this subscription tier will include access to over 50 games (including Fallout 4 and Stardew Valley), as well as 10 hours of cloud gaming per month.
The Starter Edition is expected to be a tool for partner collaborations. Microsoft is already discussing the possibility of bundled subscriptions with Netflix. This would allow other services to integrate the Xbox game library into their tariff plans.
Asha Sharma’s decisions also affected the most high-profile franchises. In particular, she reversed an earlier decision to add new Call of Duty games to the main Game Pass library on release day. The move is being seen as an attempt to correct strategic mistakes of past management and focus on the platform’s profitability.
Recall that the Microsoft Gaming brand was created in 2022 in preparation for the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. At that time, Phil Spencer headed the division with the aim of combining the corporation’s efforts on PC, consoles and mobile devices, but within four years the strategy has undergone a significant revision towards a return to the classic Xbox brand.
