Microsoft is ceasing its offering of free Xbox 360 games within its Games with Gold program by October of this year. The tech conglomerate cited a multitude of factors for this new change, the most prominent among them being "licensing, legal and technical constraints," which were highlighted in an email sent to Xbox Live Gold customers. Other assorted benefits under Games with Gold will remain intact, "including exciting Xbox One titles and exclusive savings each month."
Microsoft's Games with Gold itself is an extension of Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, allowing subscribers to receive free games hand-picked by Microsoft each month. All offered Xbox 360 games are backward compatible with Microsoft's current generation, the Xbox Series X/S, as well as the Xbox One. The firm reintroduced its backward compatibility program last year with 76 classics for the 20th anniversary of Xbox, but Microsoft inevitably reached its limit to debut new Xbox 360 titles for the program.
Starting Oct. 1st, Games with Gold will cease offering any additional Xbox 360 games with its monthly free entries. Those that already own Xbox 360 games, whether downloaded or redeemed through the program, will remain in your library and won't be affected by the new alteration to the Xbox Live Gold service.
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Games with Gold typically share four free games with subscribers each month, two Xbox One experiences, and two Xbox 360 titles, yet sometimes the second 360 game will be replaced with an original Xbox game due to availability. In July of last year, Microsoft offered up the Xbox title Conker: Live & Reloaded as its stand-in Xbox 360 offering. It remains unclear how Microsoft will approach that missing duo of free Xbox 360 games following Oct. 2022, but it will most probably be substituted with the original Xbox and Xbox One games.
Microsoft has long been vying to bridge several of its services together in an effort to consolidate all supported programs for players, expressed most prominently in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The tech firm even tried to raise the annual price for Xbox Live Gold last year, yet no sooner backtracked on these efforts following negative backlash from the public. Xbox Live itself has been dropped as Microsoft's naming convention for its online services, referring to it now as Xbox network.
Microsoft announced that it would be offering Thrillville: Off the Rails, Beasts of Maravilla Island, Torchlight, and Relicta for July's Games with Gold.
