Microsoft
Editor Update 7/17/2013 11:40AM: The rumors have been confirmed!
Xbox Game Pass Core is coming on September 14th. No additional titles were announced for the "25 high-quality games", but they promised that more were going to be announced by launch.
One additional detail is that games gotten through Games With Gold will still be accessible for those subscribed to the Game Pass "Core" or "Ultimate" tiers. They just won't get any new games monthly anymore.
On Sunday evening, Korean news site Naver posted about the impending alleged announcement of Xbox Live Gold being entirely “eliminated”. Xbox Live Gold has been a staple of online gaming for over two decades now. If this rumor turns out to be true, this is a momentous occasion.
Naver picked up the potential scoop from Windows Central. The link they presented as a source has mysteriously been nuked from orbit. However, going into another article on Windows Central and scrolling down shows the entire original article in full, with a new link.
Image source: Windows Central
Neither link works on its own, at the time of writing. You have to scroll from a separate article to get there. That could change after the publication of this news, or a pending announcement.
Editor Update 7/17/2023 @ 12:10 AM: Windows Central has entirely removed the original article from their website as of now.
What is Xbox Game Pass Core?
If the leak is accurate, Xbox Game Pass Core is the replacement for both Xbox Live Gold and Games With Gold services, which would be phased out. Game Pass Core would effectively work similarly to the current model with some minor tweaks.
Just like Gold, Core will be required to play games on Xbox’s multiplayer network on consoles. It will even cost the same as standard Gold, at $9.99, or $59.99 per year. Current users will automatically be converted to the new branding and service when it launches this fall.
Image source: Windows Central / Possibly Microsoft
Xbox Live Gold and Games With Gold would end on September 1st. The official launch date is unknown at this moment, so we’re unsure what will happen during the short interim between.
In addition to the usual features, Core would retain a little of Games With Gold’s spirit. It becomes a mini-Game Pass in its own right. In the image presenting the new pricing scheme, it mentions that subscribers would get “over 25 high-quality games on console”.
According to Windows Central, they had 19 of them listed in their article. Those include: “Among Us, Descenders, Dishonored 2, DOOM Eternal, Fable Anniversary, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5, Grounded, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Wars 2, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Human Fall Flat, INSIDE, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Psychonauts 2, State of Decay 2, and Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited”.
That list only includes 19 games. However, that list will expand over time in the “coming months”, according to Windows Central.
Windows Central, then, broke down the subscription plans. As Core is just a replacement for Xbox Live Gold, users still have to get Game Pass Console separately, just like they already had to, if they want access to the standard Game Pass library, on top of the necessity to buy Game Pass Core.
Or they can just go with Game Pass Ultimate, which includes all of the above, plus the PC Game Pass. This can get a bit confusing as everything would be under the same brand naming, as you can tell.
As mentioned, this is just a rumor for now until Microsoft announces the news for real, if it’s even real. So, take all of it with a grain of salt. But, if it is real, RIP Xbox Live Gold. You served us well for 20 years.
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Arthur Collins
Arthur Collins likes collecting titles. Some call him Dungeon Master, some call him Pokemon Professor. He's been a journalist off and on for over a decade and a half, which means he's almost Level 2 in journalism. You can find him yelling at his screen while playing Halo or curled up playing games like Animal Crossing. Or on Twitter and Threads. He has those at @cheshirespurr.
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Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go-to font for titles, paragraphs & more.
Small Running Title
Small Running Title
Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go-to font for titles, paragraphs & more.