Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Microsoft: ‘Nearly 1 million’ unused Xbox Gamertags now up for grabs

By

microsoft to release nearly 1 million xbox gamertags 2 640x0
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Microsoft announced plans to wipe “nearly 1 million” unused and dormant Xbox Gamertags this week, giving gamers a rare opportunity to reclaim abandoned Xbox Live usernames.

“Many of the best and most desirable Gamertags were unavailable … until now,” Xbox Wire editor-in-chief Will Tuttle explained. “We’ve listened to your feedback and once again Team Xbox is excited to announce the release of a large number of previously unavailable Gamertags!”

Recommended Videos

Microsoft’s Gamertag release process will begin on May 18, and will continue through the rest of the month.

All of this month’s newly available Gamertags were initially registered when Xbox Live launched in 2002. Microsoft assures that the upcoming mass-deletion will only affect users who never transferred their Xbox Live account to an Xbox 360 or Xbox One console over the last decade.

“These Gamertags are from the original Xbox era, the same source of Gamertags we used in our 2011 release,” Tuttle wrote. “These accounts never migrated to Xbox 360 and as a result they have been inactive for quite some time.”

Squatters claimed many sought-after Xbox Live usernames during the service’s formative years, and Microsoft’s impending cleanup will make many of them available for registration for the first time in over a decade.

While Microsoft did not give specific examples of Xbox Live Gamertags that will be available for re-registration this month, the publisher notes that players will soon be able to claim many usernames that feature “proper names, pop culture references, types of food, geography, and travel, science and technology, math and numbers, animals, and some of the greatest inventions of all time.”

Microsoft notes that this month’s newly released Gamertags will be up for grabs for “Xbox Live Gold customers with active subscriptions and at least one year of cumulative Xbox Live Gold tenure.” Xbox Live users are given one chance to rename their Gamertag for free, and all future changes require a $10 fee.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
The best Xbox 360 games backward compatible on Xbox One

A major disadvantage of upgrading your console or even switching to an entirely new brand is that you’ve got to start fresh with your video game library. The good news is that Microsoft has installed a backward-compatibility feature on Xbox One. 

While there’s no need to throw out your entire library of Xbox 360 games, keep in mind that some games aren’t compatible as Xbox One games. We have put together a list of the best Xbox 360 games that work with the Xbox One to save you some time.
Action-adventure
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

Read more
The history of the Xbox
Xbox One X review controller in front

The original Xbox launched late in 2001, nearly nineteen years ago. A lot has changed with the brand since then, bringing more power, more exclusives, and more value to consumers around the world. Now, the brand is set to reimagine itself yet again when the Xbox Series X releases this holiday season.

But before we move forward, why not take a look back at what brought us here in the first place? Xbox has a storied history -- what started out as a simple project has evolved into one of the most profitable gaming brands in the entire industry -- and it might help us figure out what we can expect from the company moving forward.

Read more
Microsoft says it ‘messed up’ on Xbox Live pricing, won’t raises rates
xbox one x review mem2b

Microsoft has backtracked on an announcement that it would raise the price of Xbox Live Gold memberships after an outcry from gamers. Many pointed out that it was tactless to raise prices on gaming when many people are staying at home due to the pandemic and gaming provides a much-needed form of safe entertainment.

In a blog post first posted on Friday, January 22, Microsoft said it would increase the price of Gold memberships by $1 for one-month memberships and $5 for three-month memberships in the U.S., with equivalent prices hikes in other regions too. That would have raised prices to $11 for one month and $30 for three months. Prices for six-month and 12-month memberships would have remained unchanged.

Read more