Yesterday there was quite a controversy when Microsoft announced that it was raising the prices of the Xbox Live Gold subscription. In addition, in what was understood by many of the users as a subtle way (or not so much) to force you to switch to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, since the reason for this increase was not even explained.
It is true that when communicating games with Gold for the month of February there was Gears 5, raising the number of these gifts to 5 instead of the usual 4. With the last installment of the third-person shooter being a title optimized for Xbox Series X / S, did it mean that from now on we would have a new generation game as part of the pack? That might give a compelling reason, but it was never confirmed that it was the reason.
The fact is that the green brand has heard the negative feedback in recent hours and will not only maintain the same prices as until now, canceling that increase, but also eliminates the requirement of having Gold to access free-to-play titles of the platform, such as Fortnite, SMITE, etc.
The team has updated the post on Xbox Wire that initially recounted how this price hike was going to be, making it clear that they have decided to back down for the good of their community:
“Today [por ayer] We made a mistake and you were right to let us know. Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of the game and we fail to meet the expectations of the players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change the Xbox Live Gold prices.
We’re turning this moment into an opportunity for Xbox Live to be more in line with the way we we see the player at the center of the experience. For free games, you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to implement this change as soon as possible in the coming months. “
We remind you that, during the next month of February, as a Gold user in addition to Gears 5 you will have access at no additional cost to Resident Evil 1 remake, Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition, Lost Planet 2 e Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb, a good way to warm up after announcing the “Indy” game that MachineGames will develop.
