560°

Microsoft isn’t renaming Xbox Live and has "no plans" to discontinue Xbox Live Gold

Microsoft’s comments don’t address the free rumors around Xbox Live.

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theverge.com
RazzerRedux1352d ago (Edited 1352d ago )

"Microsoft isn’t specifically commenting about the free rumors around Xbox Live, which started when the company removed the 12-month option for Xbox Live Gold from its online store last month."

No idea why that would lead anyone to believe Live Gold was going to be free. The 1 and 3 month options are still there. Microsoft wants everyone moving to Game Pass Ultimate and 12 month Live Gold was far too competitive in pricing at $60. This is a move to make more money as removing the 12 month option is effectively a price increase. Simple as that.

SamPao1352d ago

nonono its about having options :P

nowitzki20041352d ago (Edited 1352d ago )

They are looking out for the consumer :P

RpgSama1352d ago Show
1352d ago
SullysCigar1352d ago

Where are the Xbox faithful?

I'd be interested to hear their views, but they don't seem to be sharing them.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1352d ago
--Onilink--1352d ago (Edited 1352d ago )

Or they are planning to unifiy live with all gamepass options with a slight price increase due to the added functionality (as such, adding extra customers to gamepass and all its associated games)

And they didnt remove the short term options because they wont make the announcement yet and still need to give people the ability to subscribe to live since its required to play online

That sounds just as likely to me, though then again, its not like Live would go free, that part never made any sense to me, I think they just want to make sure to integrate to gamepass on all levels and not just ultimate

isarai1352d ago

What if you don't want gamepass though? Some people are really only interested in a couple franchises and want to play online, not be forced to also pay for a subscription they never asked for in order to do so.

--Onilink--1352d ago (Edited 1352d ago )

Then it would be a problem for those people sure, I’m not saying its a perfect approach from MS if that is the case, just that I think its also a possibility that makes sense business wise for MS

Ausbo1352d ago

They won’t force you to have gamepass to play online. That was would be very bad and anti consumer. There would be huge backlash on that move

Christopher1352d ago

Wow. Really surprised at the downvotes for Ausbo. I completely agree with him. Forcing a service at a higher cost onto someone to play online is anti-consumer.

The only thing I can see is them completely doing away with Games For Gold and moving that into a gamepass lite where you get access to a few games by only for that month. But that would be worse than Games For Gold as it is as it's limited in design.

--Onilink--1352d ago

@Christopher

Not that Im disagreeing with him, but its not really unheard of.

Just look at something like amazon prime, they just basically kept adding more and more stuff on top of it and increasing the price and they never really left a specific option for what Prime used to do. You either got everything or nothing.

Not giving a choice certainly isnt good, but its not like gamepass isn’t an amazing deal anyway

rainslacker1352d ago

@isarai

Than MS has a platform for you. It's called the PC.

Sophisticated_Chap1352d ago

If they force people to pay a higher monthly fee, then I would think fewer people would buy in on the new subscription.

I think Game Pass is a great value, but I don't need to play that many games, nor do I have the time to play all of those games. I'm also very picky about my digital games library and what shows up in my Acheivements.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 1352d ago
RauLeCreuset1352d ago

I have suspected the removal of the 12 month Gold sub may be an attempt to effectively lock the 12 month Gold subscription itself behind a Game Pass paywall to force annual Gold subscribers onto pricier subscriptions. That's just speculation. That said, this site had better blow up like never before if speculation turns out to be reality, after years now of marketing buzzwords about being pro consumer and more options being used to undermine the competition while puffing up Xbox.

jerethdagryphon1352d ago

Yup my thinking up the price on it and stop the 12 months before the announce it so people don't buy 10 years to save money

derektweed11352d ago

I get what you're saying and maybe your exaggerating but I think there is a limit of 3 years or something that one can have for Xbox live gold.

alb18991352d ago

I don't see why is it about money if they are almost giving as a present gamepass and now Xcloud is included. Of course is a tactical move so for everyone makes sense to pay just one subscription.

RazzerRedux1352d ago (Edited 1352d ago )

"makes sense to pay just one *more expensive* subscription"

Fixed. They have removed the cheapest option for multiplayer. I get they have added features like xCloud, but they have removed options as well. Regardless, this will increase revenue from services thus, it is "about money".

3-4-51352d ago

This..
A business needs to make money decisions sometimes and Xbox Live Gold is a great deal....it's also it's own Brand by the this point as it goes hand in hand with online gaming the last 15+ years as an industry standard.

Would be foolish to get rid of it...worth keeping just for the marketing name alone.

* I've been doing 12 month subs since 2003 so it feels like they want me on Gamepass ultimate.

Sophisticated_Chap1352d ago

No point in removing the 12 month subscription, if unless the reason is so that they don't piss people off by having them purchase 12 months of gold, only to find out in September or October that the service will be free after November.

Sophisticated_Chap1352d ago

We'll just have to wait and see. Fun speculation for the mean time.

DarXyde1352d ago

My current guess is a bizarre one: lock 1 year of Gold behind Game Pass and everyone else can top up every 1-3 months. They make a little extra on subs that way. It's strange because it's the most pro-consumer anti-consumer move I've seen from them: "remove a pro-consumer option that saves a bit on annual subs (which is anti-consumer) to push you toward the pro-consumer option of an annual subscription and get "free" day one first- party titles."

It's... certainly a different approach, but likely to work out for them if true.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 1352d ago
ziggurcat1352d ago

It's not going to be free. Making Halo Infinite's online F2P != MS is making XBL free (which is where this whole thing originated), it just means they're using the GaaS model for Halo's MP.

neutralgamer19921352d ago

Correct me if I am wrong but don't you need live to play F2P

ShadowWolf7121352d ago

That's supposedly the only big aspect of it they're changing, according to insiders at least.

akaFullMetal1352d ago

Yes, you need Xbox live to play free to play games on xbox.

moriarty18891352d ago (Edited 1352d ago )

yes you do. It has been the knock on them for so long now with having a paywall on other f2p games. Something Sony, their competition, doesnt do.

darthv721352d ago

It is rumored that they will finally drop the gold requirement for F2P games, but as of right now you still need it to play them.

ziggurcat1352d ago

You need XBLG to play F2P games on Xbox currently. But as darth says, they're probably going to no longer require a Gold sub to play a F2P MP game.

Dragonscale1352d ago

There is no free to play on xbox. Everything is behind a paywall.

TheEnigma3131351d ago

PS4 you don't but xbox you do.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 1351d ago
TGGJustin1352d ago ShowReplies(3)
yarbie10001352d ago (Edited 1352d ago )

So they’re doubling the price to play online from $60 to $120... Wow! And Xbox fans are claiming Sony is anti-consumer...OOF!

moriarty18891352d ago

MS arent giving up that ‘GOLD’ mine anytime soon. wishful thinking for some who actually thought they would.

elazz1352d ago

And Xbox Fans are ready to tell you they happily pay 120 - 180 dollars because look at all the GAMES. /s There are enough people that barely play more games than a yearly Fifa and Call of Duty which would mean you gotta pay even more to play online than now. Some others buy mainly discounted games or second hand and will never spend a yearly amount of 120 to 180 USD on games. Microsoft is trying to get as much money per user and they know all the blind xbox fans will happily pay.

At least I'm glad they did not bring this shit to PC yet in such a way so if there is a gem that comes out I could still play it. However I doubt that there is anything substantial coming.

RamRod881352d ago

I'm not. I don't want to be forced to choose either buying gamepass or Ultimate to play online. I would rather have them keep the 12 month option for those that don't care about gamepass.

waderae1352d ago

Your spot on, its not just those "call of fifa" players either, low income families etc will also have to suffer the increase in price, its £49.99 to £72 minimum for a year now.

People will tell you that its all about value of ultimate.... but its only value if you can afford it or if you are going to use it.

Its not like you can currently play FTP games or gamepass games (online) without forking out for Gold.

Drew3451352d ago

Wow...

That's a mic drop moment right there.

ChristopherJack1351d ago

Blind? Fan? In general, yes(much like yourself) but in this specific case you're clearly wrong. Fan means fanatic, in other words Xbox fans are probably not just playing the one cod or FIFA per year that you've mentioned, those are the casual gamers, actual Xbox fans are probably playing Halo, Gears, Forza, etc, & getting 'some' value out of Game pass(even if you personally disagree about the quality of their value- your opinion is irrelevant to someone else's subjective enjoyment).

I don't know how fans are blind for paying for something they'll actually use. That's like calling movie buffs blind for using Netflix.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1351d ago
cell9891352d ago (Edited 1352d ago )

$120 to have permission to play online?!! WTF? Who thinks this is ok??? Why is it not $60 anymore? Isn’t there an option to purchase 1 year membership?

stuna11352d ago

Not anymore! Microsoft probably has been mulling ideals for years as to how they can vacuum more money out of consumer pockets for years! Especially considering that console and game sale wise they have fallen behind. So they definitely had to come up with some feasible way of offsetting those deficiencies.

Also don't think for a second it's over, because I believe the free to play paywall will remain intact, which is why they're bundling so much into the subscription!? Likely in their opinion a insignificant trade off for what you get.

rainslacker1352d ago

It could go the route of GWFL, where the PC gamer pretty much unanimously said no thank you.

But, that would require the user base of the console to actually say no, and not purchase it. Somehow, I don't have faith in the average consumer not to make it profitable for the companies, so they'll just do it regardless of any criticism.

IRetrouk1352d ago (Edited 1352d ago )

So I was right then? Take that disagrees 🤛😂No way they are giving up that gold mine, no way at all, ftp games on the other hand might actually be free next gen though, that's still possible.

neutralgamer19921352d ago

Yes everyone with common sense knew that only select few who were trying to make Ms and Xbox brand look pro consumers were spreading rumors

No company would simply give up billions for PR

IRetrouk1352d ago

That was my main argument to be fair😂

ziggurcat1352d ago

Yeah, if anything, it probably just means they're taking F2P MP out from behind the XBLG paywall.

IRetrouk1352d ago

Yeah, I think that's a possibility and most likely thing to happen.

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100°

Sony Launches BAFTA Game Awards 2024 PlayStation Store Section for Nominees

Sony has launched a BAFTA Game Awards 2024 section on the PlayStation Store that lists the different games nominated this year.

Bathyj3d ago

They did.
It's just empty.

I kid, I kid. 🙂

280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple1015d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref4d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde4d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander19724d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville4d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff21834d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos4d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
isarai5d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref4d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan4d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0074d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander19725d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

5d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19725d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

5d ago
5d ago
Zeref4d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde4d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander19724d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander19724d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier4d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto4d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff21834d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto4d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
Hofstaderman5d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts4d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts3d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic4d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

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150°

The Epic Games Store Weekly Freebie was a Run Away Hit

The Epic Games Store has another freebie ready for your library and it is a free runner.

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terminalgamer.com