Hopefully you didn’t like the sound of being an Xbox Live SILVER Member, because Microsoft will soon be making a change. According to a tweet from Graemehe Boyd, Xbox’s Community Manager in Europe (think of him as a European version of our Major Nelson), the new title being given to the free version of Xbox Live is “Xbox Live Free Membership”. It seems, however, that the tweet has since been removed, so I guess Microsoft wasn’t quite ready to reveal that information quite yet.
You can check out Boyd’s exact tweet below.
Those of you with the coveted Gold Status shouldn’t be alarmed about a potential name swap because it will apparently be left alone… for the time being anyway. It’s obvious why Microsoft has decided to change the name to ‘Xbox Live Free Membership’ if you think about it. It’s a tad bit more marketable if you make it seem like you get a free membership to Xbox Live when you buy a console. We applaud your money-making prowess Microsoft.
“Just been told that ‘Xbox LIVE Silver Membership’ will now officially be called ‘Xbox Live Free Membership’.”
This name change seems to be just a small part of the re-launch of the Xbox 360 for Kinect. We’ve already seen the new Xbox.com, a new family Xbox Live pricing structure, and an Xbox Live price “adjustment”. It’s exciting to see that Microsoft is changing up the cosmetic surface of some of their features, but for the most part the core of everything else is remaining just the same. The launch of Kinect signals Xbox’s first real attempt at the casual market so some casual market revamps are necessary if they plan on Kinect rivaling the simplicity and marketability of the Nintendo Wii.
The final dashboard update will be coming in time for Kinect so odds are we will get an official announcement on Silver’s name change soon. This means that you non-gold users should enjoy the ‘Xbox Live Silver Membership’ while you cab, because soon it will become an ‘Xbox Live Free Membership’. It is a name that will live on in infamy to those who actually really care, which totals to roughly two of you.
What do you think of the name change from ‘Xbox Live Silver Membership’ to ‘Xbox Live Free Membership’? What other name changes would you like to see Xbox make?
Source: AceyBongos (Via 1up)
