Xbox Live was the original pioneering platform for online gaming on consoles, and it kept that mantle of being the leader for console online through the Xbox 360 generation. However, with the Xbox One, there was a distinct lack of forward movement forward- Xbox Live was still great, but it didn’t feel like it had moved forward in any significant way (and it didn’t help that PSN began to catch up meaningfully right around this time).
However, it seems that now, Xbox Live is going to move forward again: today during their E3 keynote, Microsoft announced three new significant improvements for the service- Clubs, Looking For, and Arena. Clubs sounds like it will be an Xbox Live take on Communities from PS4 and Wii U, while Looking For will simply be a way for players to look for other players to match up with in multiplayer games that fit their requirements. Finally, Arena will be an online tournament platform on Xbox Live, which will be supported by a lot of developers, including Daybreak, and EA Sports.
It’s good to see Microsoft attempt to keep Xbox Live fresh and innovative- after all, that’s what the service was known for to begin with, and why no one complained about its subscription fee back then.
