Let’s be honest here folks, the first thing that popped up in many people’s mind when they heard the name “Xbox One” was just how pretentious the name was. The second thing many people realized, however, was the fact that the name “Xbox One” can be shortened down quite easily in “Xbone”. In fact, it’s so silly that you can’t help but wonder “Did Microsoft even think about this potentially happening before they settled on the name?”
Apparently they did not. Phil Spencer of Microsoft Studios revealed in an interview with GameSpot that he didn’t see the nickname coming. “At first, I guess the thing that bugged me the most is I didn’t see it. I’d been looking at the name for Xbox One for months, and I wasn’t clever enough to merge them and come up with Xbone.”
Well, that’s a little embarrassing to see that Microsoft’s best and brightest couldn’t come up with the nickname themselves. Though despite the fact that the name “Xbone” is used in a slightly derogatory manner, Spencer does admit that it’s a “clever use of the name”. While we’re not going to be seeing any ads using the name Xbone soon, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a little shoutout here and there either. The Xbone is here to stay.