A massive new claim by industry insider Jeffrey Grubb has possibly blown the lid of one of the biggest upsets for next-gen console gaming. Apparently, Microsoft will scrap Xbox Live Gold in its entirety and offer multiplayer gaming for absolutely free. And the real kicker, Halo Infinite’s online portion will be offered for free!
Xbox Live Gold is going away and playing online multiplayer will be free. They will not force you into Ultimate to play online.
— grubbsnax is back (@JeffGrubb) July 31, 2020
Wow, if the claims by Jeff Grubb turn out to be real, Sony might be looking at a rude awakening with the start of next-gen this holiday season. And there’s good reason to believe Grubb as he has time and time proven to have very credible sources in the industry. But still, as with any rumor we advise taking this one with a grain of salt.
Xbox Live Gold is pretty much as old as the Xbox brand itself and has long been a cornerstone of the Xbox ecosystem. By offering leading-class online services to Xbox gamers, the monthly fee didn’t even encounter any notable pushback. Quite the opposite really, since Sony and Nintendo have ultimately followed Microsoft’s steps, albeit much later.
According to Grubb, Microsoft is not playing any games going towards the launch of next-gen and the Xbox Series X. So much, as to even scrap Xbox Live Gold and offering free online services. If that wasn’t big enough already, reportedly Halo Infinite is going to play a big role in this by offering its multiplayer suite for absolutely free, too.
With Game Pass and Project xCloud fusing soon it makes sense to scrap Xbox Live Gold and offer those two as the single paid option for consumers. Needing two subscriptions for the ultimate Xbox experience isn’t likely going to fly well.
The launch of next-gen is poised to be a defining moment for the gaming industry and with Microsoft leading in the part of the services, we sure are looking at Sony with keen eyes to see if and what their reaction will be.
