Project Scarlett: What will the next Xbox actually be called?
MicrosoftMicrosoft revealed their next-generation Xbox at E3 2019 – referred to as Project Scarlett – but some of you may have guessed that it probably won’t be called that upon release.
Microsoft doesn’t even know the name
Ever since the successor to the Xbox One became a discussion point, it has been known as Project Scarlett. Some gamers thought E3 might serve as a platform to release its official name but alas Microsoft opted to continue as Project Scarlett – at least for the time being.
If you’ve been trying to guess the name of the Xbox then it is just that, a guess. Even Xbox head Phil Spencer doesn’t know the name and even said in an interview with Giant Bomb: “We don’t even have a list of names.” This might seem strange considering Microsoft’s next-generation console is less than 18 months from release but naming it may not be easy as it seems.
The new Xbox is currently being promoted as Project Scarlett…It’s easy for Sony
Sony and their line of PlayStation consoles don’t share this problem. The first PlayStation released in 1995 and when it’s slimmer model was made was called the PS1. Naturally, every console it has made since has simply increased the number by one, currently leaving us on the PS4.
It makes naming their consoles a clear and easy task – something Xbox is clearly struggling with. They went from Xbox to Xbox 360 to Xbox One. As a result, its most natural evolution would be Xbox Two but this seems increasingly unlikely.
Stick with Project Scarlett?
The longer Microsoft delay naming the next Xbox the more chance there is they will settle on Project Scarlett, or simply Scarlett. It is by no means an ideal name and makes little sense given the Xbox’s historical names. Nevertheless, brand recognition is everything and if Scarlett becomes too ingrained in the gaming community they may opt to stick with it.
In the meantime, Microsoft will focus their efforts on determining what features it will have and making sure it is as optimized as can be.
The console is scheduled to be released in the holiday season of 2020 with highly-anticipated Halo Infinite launching as a release title.