Microsoft Gaming was reportedly a temporary legal rebrand for Xbox to facilitate the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
During the latest episode of The Xbox Two podcast, co-host and known Xbox insider Jez Corden mentioned that the Microsoft Gaming label wasn’t intended as a long-term branding, as it was a temporary legal rebrand by Microsoft to help facilitate its high-profile acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
According to Corden, the Microsoft Gaming branding “no longer exists,” with internal structures reverting back to the more familiar Xbox label. He noted that employees have already returned to using emails belonging to the Xbox domain. “We are Xbox now,” he said, terming the move as a return to the brand’s original identity. “The division is Xbox. We’re not Microsoft Gaming anymore. Thank God. It’s a small gesture, but still.”
Sources told Corden that the Microsoft Gaming brand was “a temporary legal thing they set up specifically to facilitate the Activision Blizzard acquisition.” While he didn’t elaborate on the specifics, he suggested that the structure was useful for legal matters, likely involving regulatory, organizational, or transactional clarity during one of the largest acquisitions in gaming history.
Despite the relatively low public visibility of the Microsoft Gaming brand, its silent disappearance was described by Corden as a “small gesture,” one that carries symbolic weight, especially as Xbox enters a new phase following leadership changes and major corporate restructuring.
Corden expects 2026 to be a good year for Xbox. “They’ve got a showcase, the Four Horsemen, and a big BlizzCon coming up. There’s GTA [VI]. It’s a massive year. There’s a huge amount of potential. The question is whether they can execute on all of this. The showcase itself is important, especially with the 25th anniversary. With Asha’s first real foray into the showcase, there’s a lot they could do.”
