Xbox has been making some big changes this year, and frankly, it’s pretty exciting. The past few years have been really rocky for the company. Between the amount of mass layoffs and the Game Pass price hikes that pushed a lot of gamers to cancel their subscriptions, Xbox has been struggling to stay in a positive light. Early this year brought forth one of Xbox’s biggest leadership shake-ups yet, and major company changes have continued to come seemingly every week at this point.
Back in February, Phil Spencer left Xbox, and his expected successor Sarah Bond exited the company with him. It was a big surprise, and it left people wondering who would take the lead. Shortly after Spencer and Bond’s departure, Asha Sharma was announced as the official successor, and she’s hit the ground running. In just a few months, Sharma has rebranded the company from the now-defunct “Microsoft Gaming” back to the original brand name Xbox and has even decreased the price of Game Pass’ Ultimate tier. Now, there is a new Xbox logo that further signals this change in identity, but Game Pass has yet to catch up.
‘We Will Reevaluate Our Approach’ Xbox Considering Changes to Exclusivity Strategy
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and CCO Matt Booty confirm the company is reconsidering its recent move away from exclusive first-party games.
The New Xbox Logo is a Great Start, But Game Pass Needs to Follow Suit
There were a lot of longtime Xbox fans who really disliked the minimalist Xbox logo design when it was first announced. Its flat letters and simple design felt like a big departure from the company’s earlier days, but this new logo is a different story. The new Xbox logo is sleek and still holds on to some minimalism, but its glassy design gives it so much more personality. It feels like a solid balance between the classic Xbox era and the future. The Xbox rebrand has generated a wave of excitement, but there is still some work to be done when it comes to Game Pass.
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Game Pass Needs a New Logo That is Just as Cool
Now that the Xbox logo is way cooler than it was, the Game Pass logo feels really out of place. The fresh company logo makes Game Pass even more minimalist now than it already was. It’s very possible that the design team is still working on a Game Pass rebrand, but it may have been better to time the rebranding at the same time as Xbox’s fresh logo. Of course, this is assuming that there are even going to be changes to Game Pass and its logo design at all.
Game Pass has really been in the spotlight when it comes to adjustments. Ultimate getting a price cut wasn’t the only big change to come to the subscription service recently. Call of Duty is leaving Game Pass as a day one franchise, which is a major decision. A fresh logo would only help drive home just how serious Xbox is about showcasing that Game Pass is a big extension of that change.
The Future of Xbox is Going to Be in the Spotlight This Year
After last year shrouded the company in negativity after Xbox canceled the Perfect Dark remake and games like ZeniMax’s secretive Project Blackbird, this year has the chance to be different. Asha Sharma’s decisions have already generated hype about what could be in store for Xbox’s future, and the rest of the year could bring even more insight into what the company has planned down the road.
Xbox Needs to Use the Summer to Its Advantage
Huge events like Summer Game Fest are right around the corner, and this would be a good stage for Xbox to further showcase how the company plans to go back to its roots. There are already some exciting plans in the works. The next Xbox Games Showcase is scheduled for June 7 with an additional Gears of War: E-Day presentation taking place after the main event. If there was the perfect chance to rebrand Game Pass with a fresh logo that matches the main Xbox one, it would be this showcase. There’s no way to know right now if a new Game Pass logo is part of this year’s plans, but if it happens, it hopefully ends up matching the overall brand.
