is a senior editor and author of Notepad , who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years.
Microsoft first started using the “Xbox PC” term in a blog post announcing the Gears of Wars remaster in early May. It was a new branding effort designed to signal that games are available on PC through its own Xbox PC app and store. The Xbox PC branding didn’t last long though, as Microsoft has now started using “Xbox on PC” instead. Which one is it, Microsoft?
The Xbox PC branding has been picked up by third-party publishers, with Focus Entertainment using it for a gameplay trailer in early June. Then on June 25th Microsoft introduced the Xbox on PC branding for its Hellblade II Enhanced announcement, but confusingly used both Xbox PC and Xbox on PC in the same blog post.
Microsoft’s first use of the Xbox PC branding in early May. Image: Microsoft
Xbox game studio World’s Edge used the Xbox PC branding for its trailer of an Age of Mythology: Retold expansion in June, and then swapped to the Xbox on PC branding in a preorder blog post yesterday. Grounded 2 was also announced last month as an Xbox PC title, before an early access trailer debuted yesterday and also switched to the Xbox on PC branding.
I wrote last month in my Notepad newsletter that calling the Xbox app on Windows simply Xbox PC was a clear bid to position it as a Steam competitor or alternative. The Xbox on PC branding isn’t too different, but it’s a subtle change that makes it sound more like you’re getting Xbox games on PC rather than needing some kind of Xbox PC hardware.
Both of these brands have challenges, though. Microsoft rebranded its Xbox Game Pass for PC subscription to just PC Game Pass four years ago because people were getting confused. There has always been an inherent conflict with Microsoft’s efforts to bridge PC and Xbox, because the experiences are often so different.
That’s something Microsoft is now trying to change, especially as it heads towards its next generation of Xbox consoles that look set to lean further towards Windows than ever before. Microsoft is combining Windows and Xbox for handheld PCs later this year, and we’ll hear more about that effort at Gamescom next month.
The Xbox on PC branding has been used regularly in recent days. Image: Microsoft
I think the Xbox PC branding is just a little too early, and that’s probably why it has changed to Xbox on PC in a matter of weeks. It’s a similar situation to how Microsoft used its “this is an Xbox” marketing campaign months before it started to make sense.
Microsoft is attempting to redefine the Xbox brand as a platform that spans across phones, laptops, TVs, handheld gaming PCs, and even VR headsets. There are plenty of challenges to overcome to make that a reality, and let’s hope Microsoft avoids some Windows Mobile-esque branding changes in the process.