Microsoft exec: Xbone nickname for Xbox One will likely "stick" around

The nickname "Xbone" quickly became an Internet meme when the Xbox One was first announced in May, mostly as an unflattering way for gamers to offer their opinions on the Xbox One's ssed game and DRM policies. Even after Microsoft reversed those DRM decisions, the "Xbone" name continued to be used, and Microsoft even acquired the Xbone.com domain name earlier this summer, perhaps as a way to keep the URL away from Xbox One haters.

However, it looks like Microsoft, at least in some circles, is coming to terms with the "Xbone" name. In a recent interview with Gamespot, Microsoft Studios head Phil Spencer said, " ... I think it's going to stick ... I think we can say we don't like it as much as we want, but it's a clever use of the name. Probably not the most flattering name, but I think it's going to be there."

Indeed, Spencer admits that the nickname is a clever merger of the Xbox One brand and said that when the "Xbone" name came up on the Internet, it "bugged" him that he didn't see is ahead of time, even though the Xbox One name had been suggested for months inside Microsoft as a name for the console.

Even if Spencer thinks the name is clever, he also added that he doesn't expect "Xbone" to suddenly show up in an Xbox One ad campaign from Microsoft. However, the official Xbox UK Twitter account did use the term, complete with a visual, when it tweeted a message to rapper SnoopDogg a few weeks ago

Source: Gamespot | Image via Microsoft