The official name of the upcoming Project Scarlett will suit the console’s capabilities and doesn’t need to connect those of previous Xbox releases, Phil Spencer told Stevivor at X019 in London.

Sitting down with the Xbox head, we asked if the Xbox 360 and Xbox One have made it difficult to select a name for Microsoft’s upcoming next-gen console, especially when compared to the sequel-like, numbered naming convention of Sony’s PlayStation.

“It hasn’t,” Spencer said with a shake of his head.

“Our naming convention has been around what we think the capabilities are,” he continued. “Xbox 360 was about the entertainment experience around the box and the box being in the center of that entertainment experience. Xbox One, if you remember our branding early on, was ‘always on input, all in one’. Those names were really built around the purpose of the box.

“I don’t feel like I need to follow in their footsteps because they’re kind of self-contained,” Spencer concluded.

So just like past consoles, Project Scarlett will feature a name that suits itself rather than reflect a continuity and connection to the overall brand. While we wait for an official announcement, the only thing we can do is guess at what we think the console will be named.

What do you think Microsoft will name Project Scarlett? Do you think functionality and themes like Xbox Game Pass, Project xCloud and gaming for everyone will be leaned upon and reflected in it?

Stay tuned to Stevivor for more from Phil Spencer at X019 in the days to come.

Steve Wright attended X019 in London, England as a guest of Microsoft. Travel and accomodation were supplied by Microsoft.