Microsoft no longer offering 12 Month Xbox Live Gold

Microsoft has announced that they are no longer offering 12-month subscriptions for Xbox Live Gold.

Reports suggesting that the 12 month Xbox Live Gold subscription was ending began to emerge last week. The product listing for the subscription had been removed from the company’s website in various regions. Now however, a statement on TrueAchievements has confirmed that the item is disappearing forever.

A spokesperson for Microsoft explained that the company had chosen to remove the listing for this product at this time. However, it will still be possible for consumers to sign up for the one or three month Xbox Live Gold subscriptions, should they want to.

It’s also worth noting that some third-party retailers are still offering the 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription on their sites and in stores. This may change once the stock levels for those codes run out.

Xbox Live Gold is a subscription that’s necessary in order to play Xbox games online with friends. This is similar to how Sony requires a PlayStation Plus subscription for online play on their systems. Xbox Live Gold also offers a selection of free games each month, as well as promotional discounts for subscribers.

While no reason has been given as to why this 12-month subscription product has been dropped, it’s likely because Microsoft wants more people to sign up for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. This service combines the Xbox Game Pass with Xbox Live Gold, and also includes access to first-party games on day one for free.

Xbox Game Pass is also set to include Project xCloud as of September, a game streaming service that has been in the works for some time.

The Xbox Series X launches later this year. Some rumours suggest that Microsoft is going to completely change the way that multiplayer works with the system, which may mean that the only way to play online is with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.