After recent rumors of Microsoft planning to discontinue its Xbox Live Gold subscription and rename Xbox Live, once new changes appeared in the services agreement referring “Xbox Live” as “Xbox online service,” the company is now clarifying that the subscription is not going away, and the name will remain the same.
According to a new report from The Verge, a Microsoft spokesperson said that “the update to ‘Xbox online service’ in the Microsoft Services Agreement refers to the underlying Xbox service that includes features like cross-saves and friend requests,” and the language update was only made to distinguish the service and the paid Gold subscription.
In addition, Microsoft is now clearly saying that it has no plans to discontinue the Xbox Live Gold subscription, even though, the 12-month option is no longer available, and assures that there are no changes being made to the service or Xbox Live Gold.
Other rumors speculated that Microsoft may be planning to make Xbox Live Gold free. Although the company now says that the subscription isn’t going away, it’s still possible that it may happen at some point in the future.
In related news, the company is now announcing that it’s unlocking Xbox Live Gold multiplayer for all Xbox One consoles from August 6 through 10. During this time, you’ll be able to download and play for free a bunch of games (even without a subscription), including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Gears 5, Black Desert, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Monster Hunter World, Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, Borderlands 3, Subnautica, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, and Ark: Survival Evolved.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].