In January, Microsoft announced that it would eliminate the need for an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play free multiplayer games, and now it's making good on that promise. Xbox Insiders in Alpha Skip Ahead and Alpha Rings will note that multiplayer in free games, "Looking 4 Groups" and Party Chat will no longer require an Xbox Live Gold membership to access. As it is, an Xbox Live Gold membership is required to play all Xbox games online, even free ones like Fortnite, Rocket League, and Call of Duty: Warzone. This is in stark contrast to the situation on PlayStation, where free games don't require a PS Plus membership to play. Microsoft also required Xbox owners who wanted to use streaming services like Netflix to have an Xbox Live Gold subscription, but thankfully removed that requirement a few years ago. The decision to remove the need for an Xbox Live Gold membership to access free games came under controversial circumstances. Microsoft had previously announced that it would increase the price of a six-month Xbox Live Gold subscription by 50%, which was the subject of much criticism. Thankfully, he quickly reversed that decision, instead revealing that Xbox Live would be "more in line with how we see the player at the center of the experience."
Goodbye Xbox Live
Xbox Live is undergoing a name change from Microsoft and will now be called Xbox Network. Xbox Live Gold will always remain, but the new name for Xbox's suite of online services was introduced to "create a simpler and more descriptive messaging system for Xbox in different areas," according to a Microsoft spokesperson. It should be noted that Xbox Live is included as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Microsoft's highest subscription level, which costs $14.99 / £10.99 / AU$15.95 and allows users to download hundreds of games, access EA Play and enjoy cloud gaming on android. devices and access Xbox Game Pass on PC. The removal of Xbox Live Gold will certainly be a boon for developers of free games on Xbox. Users may have been put off paying for an online subscription on Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S when the same game is completely free to play elsewhere, so the move will only benefit games like Fortnite and Warzone, which they continue to be extremely popular. . Today's best Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deals
