Earlier this week, Microsoft confirmed that it would rebrand its Windows Phone Marketplace download store to just Windows Phone Store. Now it looks like that rebranding effort is extending to the mobile games that are published in the Windows Phone Store as well.
As reported by WPCentral.com, both new and older Windows Phone based games are getting a new umbrella label in their digital cover artwork. Previously, Microsoft was branding games made for Windows Phone devices with the "Xbox Live for Windows Phone" title. Now, the store is publishing them under the simpler "Xbox Windows Phone" brand.
It"s yet another change in branding for Microsoft"s lineup of products that gets rid of the "Live" label. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that the Windows Live brand would soon be no more for its collection of cloud-based online services such as SkyDrive, replacing them with Microsoft accounts. At the time, Microsoft said that the Windows Live brand was causing confusion among its customers.
It does make one wonder if Microsoft will also ditch the "Xbox Live" brand for its online gaming services at some point. We have contacted Microsoft to see if they will comment about such a plan.
Update: In a statement, a Microsoft spokesperson told Neowin, "Xbox LIVE continues to be our service for Xbox. Xbox is the all-up entertainment brand that includes the console, the service and the extension to other devices."
Source: WPCentral.com | Image via WPCentral.com