One of the last remnants of the early Xbox era is about to disappear. Microsoft has announced that it will be replacing Xbox Live Gold with a new subscription tier called Game Pass Core, starting from September 14th. This transition marks a significant shift in how Microsoft offers bonus games and services to its subscribers.
Previously, Xbox Live Gold was required for playing many online multiplayer games on consoles, and it also provided subscribers with a steady stream of free titles through the Games with Gold program. However, with the introduction of Game Pass Core, Microsoft is discontinuing Games with Gold and adopting a different approach.
Under the new Game Pass Core subscription, priced at $60 per year or $10 per month, players will gain access to a base collection of over 25 games. The collection will be refreshed with new entries two to three times per year. While most of the titles in the collection are first-party games like Doom Eternal, Forza Horizon 4, and Halo 5, there will also be occasional third-party additions such as Among Us and Human Fall Flat.
Existing Xbox Live Gold members will automatically be switched to the Game Pass Core subscription once it becomes available. However, it's important to note that Games with Gold will be discontinued on September 1st. Nevertheless, current subscribers will still have access to any Xbox One games they have claimed, regardless of whether they are Core or Ultimate members. Additionally, any redeemed Xbox 360 games will remain accessible even if the subscription lapses.
This transition by Microsoft shouldn't come as a complete surprise, as the company has been signaling its intention to revamp Xbox Live Gold for some time now. In 2020, they stopped offering year-long subscriptions, and in 2022, they removed Xbox 360 games from the service. Furthermore, Microsoft had previously planned to raise Gold prices in 2021 but quickly reversed the decision after facing backlash from the gaming community.
While the change may disappoint those who enjoyed the more frequent additions to the Games with Gold catalog, it appears to be a deliberate move to encourage users to consider upgrading to the Ultimate subscription tier. The Ultimate subscription offers a much larger selection of games, including some day-one titles, cloud gaming capabilities, and access to an EA Play membership. For gamers who are open to Sony hardware, PlayStation Plus Essential, which continues to provide monthly bonus games, may be a more appealing alternative.
It's worth noting that Sony recently discontinued the PlayStation Plus Collection, which means players will need to pay to revisit some of the best games from the PS4 era unless they acquired them through other promotions. Although Microsoft is not directly mirroring Sony's strategy, the Game Pass Core subscription serves as a rough equivalent for those seeking an instant library of games, with a particular focus on showcasing first-party releases.
As the gaming landscape continues to evolve, Microsoft's decision to replace Xbox Live Gold with Game Pass Core represents a shift towards a more expansive and diverse subscription-based gaming ecosystem. Whether this change proves to be a positive or negative development will ultimately depend on the preferences and priorities of individual gamers.
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