Earlier this week, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma put the following question to fans on social media: “Xbox” or “XBOX”? Out of the 19,176 votes cast, all caps XBOX was the clear winner with 64.8% of the total. Now, Microsoft has seemingly taken that to heart by rebranding the Xbox account on X with all-caps XBOX.
The Verge was one of the first outlets to notice the change, and it notes that Xbox’s Bluesky and Threads accounts have yet to reflect the slight renaming. When reached for comment by The Verge, Microsoft directed readers back to Sharma’s poll on X.
When the original Xbox console was released in 2001, its name was in all caps. The subsequent logos for its successors were also in caps, but the brand was spelled normally by Microsoft. Earlier this year, Sharma reverted Microsoft Gaming’s name back to Xbox, so it’s entirely possible that the XBOX spelling is back as well. This may be an exercise in branding and nostalgia for a time when Xbox was at its peak before the significant declines that the company has recently suffered in hardware and game sales.
Shortly after Sharma took over from her predecessor, Phil Spencer, diehard Xbox fans urged her to rethink Microsoft’s multiplatform strategy that brought several formerly exclusive games to PlayStation 5 and Switch consoles. That may not be feasible anymore after the big numbers that some of the games made on PS5. Sharma also killed off the unpopular “This is an Xbox” publicity campaign.
The real make-or-break moment of Sharma’s stint at the top may come with the release of the next-gen Xbox, Project Helix. That console may still be years away at the earliest. In the meantime, Xbox is lowering the price for Game Pass Ultimate. Additionally, the Call of Duty games will be removed from day-one Game Pass access. It’s possible that more AAA titles could get dropped from Game Pass as well.