Xbox has made some big changes this year, and honestly, it's pretty exciting. The last few years have been really rocky for the company. Between the slew of mass layoffs and the Game Pass price hikes that caused many players to cancel their subscriptions, Xbox has struggled to stay in a positive light. Early this year led to one of Xbox's biggest leadership shakeups to date, and major corporate changes have continued to happen on a weekly basis at this point.
Back in February, Phil Spencer left Xbox and his expected successor Sarah Bond left the company with him. It was a big surprise, and it made people wonder 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” to the original Xbox brand, and has even lowered the price of the Game Pass Ultimate tier. Now there's a new Xbox logo to further signal this change in identity, but Game Pass has yet to catch up.
“We will reevaluate our approach” Xbox given changes in exclusivity strategy
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and CCO Matt Booty confirm the company is rethinking its recent move away from exclusive first-party games.
The new Xbox logo is a good start, but Game Pass needs to follow suit
There were many long-time Xbox fans who really disliked the minimalistic Xbox logo when it was first announced. Its flat lettering 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 stylish and still adheres to a bit of 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's still some work to be done when it comes to Game Pass.
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Game Pass needs a new logo that's 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 corporate 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 might have been better to time the rebranding around the same time as Xbox's fresh logo. Of course, this assumes that there will even be changes to Game Pass and its logo design at all.
Game Pass has really been in the spotlight when it comes to adjustments. The ultimate price cut wasn't the only big change coming to the subscription service recently. Call of Duty leaving Game Pass as a franchise one day, which is a big decision. A new logo would only help you see how serious Xbox is about showing that Game Pass is a big extension of that change.
The Future of Xbox will be in the spotlight this year
After last year the company was shrouded in negativity after Xbox canceled Perfectly dark remakes and games like ZeniMax's secretive Project Blackbird, this year has the chance to be different. Asha Sharma's decision has already created hype about what could be in store for Xbox's future, and the rest of the year could provide 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 just 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 underway. The next Xbox Games Showcase is scheduled for June 7 with one more Gears of War: E-Day presentation takes place after the main event. If there was the perfect chance to rebrand Game Pass with a fresh logo to match the main Xbox One, it would be this showcase. There's no way of knowing right now if a new Game Pass logo is part of this year's plans, but if it does happen, it will hopefully match the overall branding.
