It's hard to believe they didn't see it. And yet Microsoft's Phil Spencer says he didn't anticipate that their new console, the Xbox One, would immediately be dubbed the "Xbone" by fans and detractors alike.
"At first, I guess the thing that bugged me the most is I didn't see it," Spencer told Gamespot in a new interview. "I'd been looking at the name for Xbox One for months, and I wasn't clever enough to merge them and come up with Xbone."
Of course, within minutes of the Xbox One announcement, hundreds of people across social media, message boards and video game news sites christened the console the Xbone.
Spencer acknowledges that the nickname isn't going anywhere. "You know, I think it's going to stick. I think we can say we don't like it as much as we want, but it's a clever use of the name. Probably not the most flattering name, but I think it's going to be there."
Right he is. A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft's Larry Hyrb also weighed in on the nickname, saying, "I don't like it. …it disrespects the teams that have put in thousands of hours (already) into the development of the product. Sure, it's cheeky but I don't care for it myself."
Whether or not Microsoft likes it, the nickname is sticking around. Though hey, while "Xbone" may sound like the name of a classic rock radio station, it's still arguably a bit less confusing than the actual name of the console.
Microsoft's Spencer says the clever Xbone nickname will stick [Gamespot via NeoGAF]