Game Pass Core will replace Xbox Live Gold & Games with Gold in Septembe
Microsoft has announced Xbox Game Pass Core, a replacement for the Xbox Live Gold subscription for online multiplayer on console, and the end of Games with Gold in favour of a mini 25 game library. The new subscription service will debut on 14th September.
Retaining the Xbox Live Gold pricing, Game Pass Core will cost $9.99 / £6.99 per month, or $59.99 / £49.99 annual subscription price point.
With this change, Xbox are finally killing off the anaemic monthly games that they have been offering through Games with Gold over the last few year. The launch collection will feature over 25 games that includes some of Xbox’s biggest exclusives, games from Bethesda and other third party developers. New games will be added 2-3 times a year, instead of the fortnightly cadence that main Game Pass has.
Here’s the games confirmed so far, with a handful more to come:
There’s a few important things to note for Xbox Live Gold members though, with regard to existing subscriptions and GwG access. These are:
On the whole this looks like a pretty significant reboot of Xbox’s baseline multiplayer subscription option. However, you do end up in an awkward spot of having Game Pass Core at $10, the full Game Pass library for $11, and then the all encompassing Game Pass Ultimate at $17. That’s pricing Microsoft hasn’t done a great job of really justifying through the later Live Gold years.
Another unanswered question is how upgrades from Core to Ultimate will be handled, which has been a long-standing trick to get a cheaper ultimate sub for the last half decade.
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