Xbox network
The Xbox network, formerly known as Xbox LIVE, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the original Xbox console on November 15, 2002. An updated version of the service became available for the Xbox 360 console at the system's launch in November 2005, and a further enhanced version was released in 2013 with the Xbox One. This same version is also used with Xbox Series X and Series S. This service, in addition to a Microsoft account, is the account for Xbox ecosystem; accounts can store games and other content.
| Developer | Microsoft Gaming |
|---|---|
| Type | Online service |
| Launch date | November 15, 2002 |
| Platform(s) | Xbox (Servers shut down on April 15, 2010) Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox Series X and Series S Windows XP – Windows 7 as (Games for Windows – Live) Windows 8/8.1/10/11 as (Microsoft Store/Xbox App) Windows Phone (Servers shut down on May 16, 2022) iOS Android |
| Status | Active |
| Members | 120 million (as of January 2023) |
| Pricing model | Free for Xbox network 9.99 USD for Xbox Live Gold (Now Xbox Game Pass Core) |
| Website | www |
The service was extended in 2007 across the Windows platform, named Games for Windows – Live, now defunct, which made most aspects of the system available on Windows computers. The Xbox app is now used to cross over the Xbox ecosystem into PC gaming, in addition to handhelds and mobile phones as part of the Play Anywhere initiative. Microsoft's former mobile operating system, Windows Phone, included full Xbox Live functionality until it was discontinued. The service shut down for the original Xbox on April 15, 2010, and original Xbox Games are now only playable online through Insignia, an unofficial Xbox Live replacement service, or through local area network (LAN) tunneling applications such as XLink Kai.
Xbox network service is available as both a free service and a subscription-based service known as Xbox Game Pass Core. In 2021, Microsoft renamed Xbox Live as simply the "Xbox network" to cover all of its services related to Xbox, and began slowly phasing out all "Live" branding until it was fully removed in 2023.