Microsoft has confirmed that it is no longer selling Xbox Live Gold subscriptions for a year, leading to speculation about the future.
“At this time, Xbox decided to remove the 12-month Xbox Live Gold SKU from the Microsoft online store,” explains a statement by Microsoft. “Customers can still sign up for a one-month or three-month Xbox Live Gold subscription online through the Microsoft Store.”
The one-year subscription offered a healthy discount for the 12-month period compared to the one- and three-month options. But with Microsoft suddenly awash in Xbox brand subscriptions, some wonder if Xbox Live Gold has run its course.
More specifically, Xbox Live Gold has perhaps run its course. The subscription was initially offered as a rather dubious paid option alongside what was once called Xbox Live Silver, a free offer. But today, Microsoft offers three more lucrative Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, each of which is paid and more expensive than Xbox Live Gold. And those who subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the most expensive version, get Xbox Live Gold as part of that membership.
As with the recent news about Microsoft stopping the manufacturing of Xbox One X and Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, what we might be seeing here is a temporary situation as Microsoft prepares for its console offerings and services from Next Generation. In other words, Microsoft may just kill Xbox Live Gold when the Project xCloud service joins Xbox Game Pass Ultimate this fall.
Stay tuned.
Tagged with Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass for console, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Live Gold
