Microsoft to retire Xbox Live Gold, will be replaced by Game Pass Core

Microsoft is planning to officially retire Xbox Live Gold. The service has offered online multiplayer to Xbox console gamers for decades but with the company now focusing more on Game Pass, Xbox Live's position has been in question for a while now. The Xbox Live subscription will be going away soon and will be replaced by a new entry-level Game Pass option. 

The news came from a now-removed Windows Central article, which accidentally went live briefly ahead of Microsoft's embargo. Xbox Live Gold will be replaced by Game Pass Core, a new entry-level subscription option that grants access to multiplayer and a handful of hit games from Bethesda, Xbox Game Studios and some third-party partners.

Some of the games available on Game Pass Core include Among Us, Dishonored 2, Doom Eternal, Fallout 4, Forza Horizon 4, Halo 5, Grounded, Gears 5, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Humans Fall Flat, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Psychonauts 2, State of Decay 2 and The Elder Scrolls Online.

Presumably, Game Pass Core will adopt the same price point as Xbox Live Gold, which is £6.99 per month here in the UK. If you jump up to £8.99 per month, you can get Xbox Game Pass for Console, which grants access to the full Game Pass library, in addition to all of the other benefits, such as online multiplayer access and members-only discounts for games on the Microsoft Store. Game Pass Ultimate, which comes with additional member perks like in-game items, costs £12.99 per month.

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KitGuru Says: It looks like Game Pass Core will come into effect in September, so Microsoft is likely to officially announce this within the next couple of weeks. 

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