This year marks the 25th anniversary of the original Xbox, which was launched by Microsoft in 2001. The Xbox name has been used for every generation of the console that followed, with some disagreement about whether the word should be spelled out in all caps. Now, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is asking players how they spell it: “Xbox” or “XBOX”?
Sharma shared a poll on social media about the Xbox branding, and so far there’s a clear favorite. “XBOX” is currently holding a comfortable lead over “Xbox” with approximately 63% of the vote at press time. Just over 7,000 fans have voted on X, but the poll will remain open until May 14.
Xbox or XBOX?
— Asha (@asha_shar) May 13, 2026
While the Xbox brand remains beloved by its most ardent fans, some players have called upon Sharma and her team to pull back from Microsoft’s multiplatform strategy that has brought several formerly exclusive titles to PlayStation 5 and the Switch family. While Sharma has expressed a willingness to revisit the issue, Xbox games on PS5 reportedly made a staggering amount of money for Microsoft in 2025.
In April, Sharma acknowledged that Xbox hardware, content, and services had significant declines during Microsoft’s last quarter. “We know we have work to do to earn every player today and into the future,” said Sharma.
Sharma recently added several AI veterans to Xbox’s leadership team, in addition to lowering the price for Game Pass Ultimate price. Xbox has also announced that Call of Duty games will be removed from day-one Game Pass access, and that may pave the way for other AAA titles to be dropped from Game Pass as well.