Microsoft has announced that the Xbox Games With Gold program will no longer include Xbox 360 games starting in October.
In an email to users (as reproduced on Reddit), Microsoft says, “As of October 1, 2022, the monthly games that are provided to members of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Live Gold through Games with Gold will no longer include Xbox 360 titles.
“We have reached the limit of our ability to add Xbox 360 games to the catalog; however, Games with Gold will continue to include exciting Xbox One titles and exclusive savings each month. This will not affect any Xbox 360 games you have downloaded before. October 2022. Any Xbox 360 titles you redeem using Games with Gold before this time are yours to keep in your Xbox account, regardless of whether you continue with your subscription. “
Games With Gold usually contains two Xbox One games and two Xbox 360 games that subscribers can download for free each month. However, for a few months, one of the Xbox 360 games was replaced by an original Xbox title, as it did in July 2021 with Conker: Live & Reloaded.
It is currently unknown whether the company will replace the two Xbox 360 games with two additional Xbox One games or simply reduce Games With Gold to just two Xbox One titles.
Microsoft has been slowly consolidating its subscription services: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes Xbox Live Gold, for example. In 2020, Microsoft confirmed that it had no plans to suspend Xbox Live Gold despite ending 12-month subscription options.
This month’s Games With Gold lineup includes Beasts of Wonder Island, Relic, Thrillville: Off the Rails and Torchlight.
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George Yang is a freelance IGN writer. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey