It continues to be all change at Xbox. Following the departure of Phil Spencer in February, new CEO Asha Sharma has made some major moves to re-energise the Xbox brand, frequently summoning the spirit of the console’s glory days in a bid to win back the support of a flagging fanbase. And that work now continues with the launch of a redesigned Xbox logo, seemingly intentionally evoking the lurid green of Xbox past.
Xbox’s new logo, accompanied by the words “We are Xbox”, was unveiled on social media by Matt Booty, who was promoted to Xbox executive vice president and chief content officer during February’s leadership shake-up. The logo isn’t an entirely radical departure – its still the same bulging ‘X’ slashed though the centre of circle, baked-potato-style – but gone is the simple, solid colouring of its most recent iteration, replaced with a subtly three-dimensional design that resembles translucent glass.
This new logo ditches the stark, solid colouring used in recent years (variously white, black, and muted dark green) for a much more vibrant shade of green that’s immediately evocative of the very first Xbox logo from 2001. This original version featured a sleek black surface puckered into the shape of an ‘X’, while lurid green light spilled from within like a gateway to some evil spirit realm. Clearly, the latest redesign shared by Booty is intended to stoke some nostalgia, but other colour variants are now out in the wild, including an official translucent white version.
Even so, it marks another step in what’s proving to be a remarkably swift and expansive ‘we can change’ tour for Xbox following Spencer’s departure. One of Sharma’s first steps was to scrap last year’s controversial ‘This is an Xbox’ marketing campaign which sought to specifically reposition the brand away from its console origins. That, alongside the decision to adopt a multiplatfrom release strategy for many formerly Xbox-exclusive titles, drew the ire of particularly dedicated fans.
Sharma, who made “three commitments” immediately after becoming CEO in February – referencing “great games”, the “return of Xbox”, and the “future of play” – was also quick to make Xbox’s next-gen console plans public, unveiling Project Helix in March. Since then, she’s cut the price of Xbox Game Pass, albeit while removing Call of Duty as a day one launch title, and recent reports suggest a new Starter Edition tier maybe on the way. There’s also talk of a new Discord partnership, and all this comes as Xbox leadership shares an open to letter about its future, acknowledging, “We have to be honest about where we are; we’re a challenger”. It’s certainly a fascinating time for Xbox.