Microsoft is eliminating the Xbox Live gold requirement for free multiplayer and group chat

You will no longer need Xbox Live Gold to access Party Chat, Looking 4 Groups and Free-To-Play Multiplayer features on Xbox. The news was revealed by the developer of the Xbox visualization program, Brad Rossetti, on Twitter. “Multiplayer in free games, Looking 4 Groups and Party Chat on Xbox no longer requires an Xbox Live Gold subscription,” said Rossetti. The changes are being rolled out to Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip Ahead and Alpha programs at the moment “before general availability”.

Xbox Insiders on Alpha Skip Ahead & Alpha, today we are launching some new features. Multiplayer mode in free games, Looking 4 Groups and Party Chat on Xbox no longer requires an Xbox Live Gold subscription, as we fly and test these service changes before general availability

– Brad Rossetti (@WorkWombatman) March 24, 2021

This means that when the update reaches all Xbox users, players will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to create a group chat with their friends, search for a multiplayer group, or play free multiplayer games on the Xbox.

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It is unclear exactly how many games will support this change, but there are many free high-profile titles to play on Xbox, such as Apex Legends and Destiny 2, that will benefit from this.

The news comes when Xbox renamed Xbox Live for Xbox Network to “distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold subscriptions”. In other news from Microsoft, the company is reportedly in talks to buy Discord for more than $ 10 billion.

Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.