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Microsoft re-releasing one million Xbox Live Gamertags soon

Sherif Saed avatar
News by Sherif Saed Contributor
Published on

Microsoft is freeing up nearly a million of unused Xbox live Gamertags starting this Wednesday.

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Microsoft re-releasing one million Xbox Live Gamertags soon

Microsoft has announced that close to one million Xbox Live Gamertags will be re-released in the wild.

These Gamertags were left unused for long (from the original Xbox era), and they're going to be added back into the pool. Anyone with an active Xbox Live Gold subscription and at least one year of cumulative Gold subscriptions can use them.

Microsoft will release the tags starting at 2:00pm ET/ 11:00am PT on Wednesday, May 18. These will be released over a 24-hour period, the company said, to give players worldwide a chance.

The list of Gamertags is, understandably, not being shared, but Microsoft gave a few of the categories they fall under. These are:

  • Proper names
  • Pop culture references (entertainment, sports, gaming)
  • Types of food
  • Geography and travel
  • Science and technology
  • Math and numbers
  • Animals
  • Some of the greatest inventions of all time

You can use Xbox.com, the Xbox App on Windows 10 or Xbox One to make the change. Remember, if this is not your first time changing Gamertags, you'll need to pay a $10 change fee.

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