Since it was first reported Saturday that Microsoft had been obtaining “Xbox Gold” domains, the company has gone on the offensive registering a slew of “Xbox Gold” domains on Monday, including several international names.
The newest domain registrations include XboxGold.biz, XboxGold.com.co, XboxGold.us, XboxGold.at, XboxGold.ch, XboxGold.jp, XboxGold.mx, XboxGold.ru, XboxGold.tw and XboxGold.fr.
These latest names are just a sampling of what Microsoft has been buying up, at a time when rumors of the next-generation Xbox being officially announced to the public within the next several weeks.
The newest registrations all took place on February 25, two days after news broke that the company had been taking an interest in “Xbox Gold” domains.
Microsoft has yet to confirm the name of its next-gen Xbox, but it’s widely speculated possible names include the Xbox 720, Xbox Infinity, Xbox 8, Xbox Durango, and Xbox Next.
Despite the unusual amount of “Xbox Gold” activity, last week and this week, it’s unknown where “Xbox Gold” ultimately fits in.
Is “Xbox LIVE Gold” being rebranded? Is “Xbox Gold” a new service? The speculation is swirling.
“Xbox Gold & Entertainment” was mentioned in an internal event agenda over the weekend, that was originally posted on the NeoGAF forum.
As promised, I did reach out to the previous owner of XboxGold.com (which Microsoft acquired last week) to find out more details about the transaction and find out if Microsoft opened up their checkbook, but have not received a response.
According to WHOIS records, Microsoft also took ownership of FreeXbox.net from the same Australian resident, so it’s possible lawyers were involved and not cash. Considering the company has won dozens of domain disputes dating back to 2003 that involved names like HackingXbox.com, it would be hard to imagine that it paid a large sum of money, unless of course, they were looking to expedite the transaction.
Disputes can often takes weeks, if not months, to decide. And it’s possible, Microsoft wants to position itself with the matching domain — something neither Sony nor Nintendo were able to do. Nintendo finally did file a complaint over Wiiu.com last week on the same day the name was to head to private auction.
Talking about this story: VG247, Gameranx, Strategy Informer, Softpedia, GameZone, Anime News Network, MeriStation, Multiplayer.it, iNSIDE, Xbox 360: The Official Xbox Magazine and Computerandvideogames.com
(Image of next-generation Xbox concept art via Yanko Design)