Full Breakdown
Xbox Rebrands Email Domains to Reinforce New Brand Identity
4/30/2026, 10:18:59 PM
Email Domain Shift for Xbox Staff
All employees of Xbox will receive an @xbox.com email address next month. The new address will replace the existing @Microsoft.com address as the default “send-from” address, though staff may opt-out and retain @Microsoft.com as the default while keeping the Xbox address as an alias. Mojang employees will similarly be assigned @mojang.com addresses and will also keep their @Microsoft.com aliases. The change is being rolled out as part of an internal effort to strengthen the Xbox brand both inside and outside Microsoft.
Background: From Microsoft Gaming to Xbox
In a memo released last week, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced the retirement of the “Microsoft Gaming” name in favor of the singular “Xbox” brand. The announcement was paired with a joint memo from Sharma and Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty outlining a vision that measures success by daily active players and by the priorities of hardware, content, experience, and services. The email-address rollout follows this rebranding and is described as a concrete step in the renewed “We are Xbox” campaign.
Key Figures and Groups
- Asha Sharma – Xbox chief executive officer, author of the “We are Xbox” branding statement.
- Matt Booty – Xbox chief content officer, co-author of the strategic memo.
- Xbox staff – All employees across the division who will adopt the @xbox.com address.
- Mojang staff – Employees receiving @mojang.com addresses while retaining Microsoft aliases.
- Activision and Bethesda employees – Cited as examples of third-party partners who already use distinct domain names for email, highlighting the need for a unified Xbox email appearance.
Official Statements & Responses
The internal Xbox memo frames the email change as part of “strengthening the Xbox identity inside and outside of Microsoft.” Sharma’s public messaging reinforces this direction, emphasizing a unified brand presence. The memo also notes that while some Xbox employees have previously requested @xbox.com addresses, this rollout marks the first organization-wide push for the new domain.
Criticism & Opposition
The source material does not report any criticism or opposition to the email-address change.
Impact and Rationale
Standardizing email domains is intended to give Xbox staff a consistent outward-facing identity, aligning them with partners such as Activision and Bethesda that already use dedicated domains. By presenting a unified address format, Microsoft aims to reinforce the “Xbox” brand in external communications and internal culture, supporting the broader strategic focus on player metrics and service priorities outlined in the recent memo.
Verbatim Quotes
What’s Next
The new email addresses will be activated for all Xbox and Mojang employees next month. Staff who prefer to continue using their @Microsoft.com address as the default sender can opt out during the rollout. The memo suggests that further branding initiatives may follow, though specific future actions are not detailed in the source.
