Microsoft is making nearly a million used Gamertags available

Since the original Xbox era, players have signed onto Xbox Live with a Gamertag. The virtual identity is akin to a Twitter username, and like Twitter usernames, many Gamertags are coveted. For example, who wants the username "Beemo1932049" when they can just have the username "Beemo"?

Plenty of people have stuck with the same Gamertag for years, but others have swapped old names for new ones, or abandoned Gamertags all together. This Wednesday, nearly a million previously used Gamertags will be "re-released."

There is a caveat, of course. The Gamertags will only be available to Xbox Live Gold users who have "at least 1 year of cumulative" subscription to Microsoft's for-pay service. The Gamertags will be released across a 24-hour period so that folks in different markets don't have to set their alarm clocks for odd times to score the Gamertag of their dreams.

Nearly 1 million previously used XBL gamertags are going to be re-released starting this Wed https://t.co/ZvWLQ1jEoc pic.twitter.com/stToPwbi0y

— Larry Hryb (@majornelson) May 16, 2016

According to a blogpost at MajorNelson.com, the collection of Gamertags will include:

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

The Gamertags will be available Wednesday on Xbox.com, the Xbox One, and through the Xbox app on Windows 10. There's still no word on whether Beemo will be available, but you know where I'll be on Wednesday.

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