Logitech kills off Blue microphones, but Yeti stays alive

It’s not immediately obvious from the consumer level, but Logitech has bought a lot of companies that have then become its sub-brands. Ultimate Ears speakers and headphones, Jaybird business coms, Astro gaming accessories, all have come under the accessory maker’s umbrella in the last decade or so. One of the company’s most high-profile purchases was Blue Microphones in 2017, makers of the much-loved Yeti USB mic design. Alas, it looks like that sub-brand is going the way of the dodo.

According to a statement made on the Logitech G Twitter account (spotted by Engadget), the company is folding both Blue Microphones and Astro gaming products into the G gaming brand. Existing microphone products like the Yeti, Yeti Pro, Yeti Nano, and Snowball will continue to be sold, sans Blue branding but with “Blue” as a term to describe the audio technology in general. Products formerly marketed under the Logitech for Creators name are also being folded into Logitech G.

At the time of this writing, Yeti and Snowball microphones are on sale in Logitech G’s online store, still prominently featuring Blue branding, while the Blue Microphones website is now restricted to support pages with prominent Logitech links at the top. Blue became a household name in podcasting, gaming, and streaming thanks to the Blue Yeti, which has been the de facto standard high-quality mic for years thanks to its excellent sound quality and easy USB plug-and-play operation. The Yeti brand is still strong, so it would make sense for Logitech to continue making future models under a Logitech G Yeti name.

All the folded-in products from Blue, Astro, and Logitech for Creators will be handled via the Logitech G software and driver program, which might not be great news. Logitech G isn’t well-regarded among such tools (which tend to be poorly regarded anyway), so who knows what adding the additional weight of pro-level audio production into the mix will do.