You could finally get that new Xbox Live name you’ve always wanted.
Microsoft revealed today that its making about 1 million gamertags available for registering though a 24 hour period on May 18. These are old user names for Xbox Live members back from the original Xbox era that have been inactive since the service switched over to the Xbox 360. These days, it’s hard to come up with an original tag, especially when so many were taken years ago. This will give some Xbox Live users a chance to secure a long-abandoned name.
In order to register one of these expired tags, you’ll need to have been an Xbox Live Gold member for at least a year. Xbox hasn’t said specifically which names will become available, but it did note that many of them are based on popular monikers, foods, animals, cites, and pop culture references.
Gamertags aren’t just a username for many players. It becomes their online identity when using Xbox consoles. Some people have whole groups of online friends who know them better by their gamertag than their real name. So, if you’ve always wanted your gamertag to be Bob, this might be your chance.