According to a confirmed report by TrueAchievements, Microsoft has stopped selling 12-month Xbox Gold subscriptions.
A Microsoft spokesperson said, “At this time, Xbox has decided to remove the 12 months Xbox Live Gold SKU from the Microsoft online Store. Customers can still sign up for a one month or three month Xbox Live Gold subscription online through the Microsoft Store.” Unfortunately, the company did not specify the reason why it has decided to delist the 12-month option.
Gold was $60 per year, when purchased from Microsoft. It is $10 monthly, and $25 quarterly. This causes a $40 increase per year for Gold. On top of that, Game Pass is $10 per month with no annual discount. Ultimate is $15 per month with no annual discount. Unless Microsoft is going to do away with Xbox Gold, playing multiplayer on Xbox just became more expensive. Aside from confirming the news to TrueAchievements, no official statement has been released at this time. Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase for Summer Game Fest is on Thursday, July 23, at noon ET. It’s possible there could be a reason offered then, if not sooner.