Hey friend! Have you claimed your latest free games from Xbox Games with Gold? With uninspiring selections in November 2022, you may be wondering if the long-running program is nearing its expiry date. Let‘s take a closer look at what the future could hold.
Underwhelming November Offerings
As you may know already, Xbox Games with Gold no longer offers Xbox 360 titles. This dropped the monthly free game count to just two Xbox One/Series X|S games. Unfortunately, November‘s offerings fail to impress.
Praetorians – HD Remaster modernizes the esteemed 2003 RTS title Praetorians. With upgraded visuals and gameplay improvements, it caters to diehard genre fans. However, as a two decade old re-release, it lacks appeal for most gamers.
The second game, Dead End Job, delivers solid twin-stick shooting wrapped in zany paranormal hijinks. However, Steam reviews suggest the repetitive blasting wears thin quickly without local co-op friends. Dead End Job first launched in 2020 to rather middling critical reception as well.
Let‘s contrast these games with November‘s PlayStation Plus lineup:
- Nioh 2 – This brutal action RPG from 2020 was nominated for Game of the Year at multiple outlets. It offers hundreds of hours of intense, rewarding gameplay.
- Heavenly Bodies – Lauded as one of 2021‘s most novel indie experiences, it‘s physics-based space puzzler leveraging the PS5‘s adaptive triggers.
- Lego Harry Potter Collection – While a last-gen remaster as well, it bundles two family-friendly Lego adventures featuring beloved, magical IP.
Suffice it to say, Xbox games with Gold pales greatly in comparison this month. It needs to step up with marquee releases to remain enticing long-term.
The Diminished Role of Games with Gold
Games with Gold has arguably always played second fiddle to Xbox crown jewel – Game Pass. This Netflix-style games on demand subscription grants access to over 100 curated titles for a monthly fee. With Game Pass continuing to expand with red hot day-one releases and must-have exclusives, justifying a Games with Gold sub is harder than ever.
To wit – Game Pass Ultimate bundles Game Pass with Xbox Live Gold membership. Live Gold enables online multiplayer gaming and also confers access to monthly Games with Gold titles. Given over 75% of Xbox gamers opt for this bundled Ultimate package, the free games become an extraneous extra rather than essential draw.
Last year, Microsoft walked back controversial Xbox Live Gold price hikes after substantial community backlash. Games with Gold likely remained untouched then to avoid further agitation. However, with its diminished profile and lackluster recent showings, its retirement may now be nigh. Sunsetting Games with Gold would further cement Game Pass Ultimate as the unambiguous future of Xbox gaming.
The Outlook for Games with Gold Going Forward
No official announcements have indicated Plans to retire Xbox Games with Gold as of yet. Microsoft may choose to keep it running to avoid disenfranchising subsets of loyalists Xbox Live Gold subscribers.
However, with each middling month that passes, every key industry analyst chips away at its lifespan projections. Born in the heyday of Xbox 360 to build subscriber rolls, Games with Gold feels vestigial in 2022‘s gaming landscape.
If Microsoft pulls the plug on Games with Gold, it may experiment with rotating bonuses and perks exclusively for Xbox Live Gold members. This could mitigate subscriber churn given its current requirement for online play. However, with Xbox Cloud Gaming allowing convenient streaming sans any console purchase, even that requirement faces murky waters.
For the time being, Games with Gold soldiers on with seemingly waning rationale. Its diminished offerings and also-ran status to Game Pass paint an unlikely picture of it surviving another half decade. As cloud gaming uptake accelerates, Microsoft appears poised to increase focus on services aligned with modern user behavior. So economically, Game Pass Ultimate makes infinitely more sense over a redundant Games with Gold.
The writing may be on the wall here. What do you think – will Games with Gold stay or go in 2023 and beyond?
A Bounty of Great Games Join Game Pass in November
While Games with Gold falters, Xbox Game Pass continues expanding with several hotly anticipated titles across genres this month:
- The Legend of Tianding – Stylish Taiwanese side-scrolling action game centered around Liao Tianding, a legendary outlaw hero.
- Ghost Song – A 2D sci-fi action Metroidvania featuring a vast, atmospheric world to explore.
- Humankind – The ambitious 4X strategy epic comes to consoles, challenging Civ‘s supremacy.
- Pentiment – This narrative adventure comes from the creators of Fallout, perfect for history buffs.
- Gungrave G.O.R.E – Over the top action shooter where you can swing around dual-wielding coffin guns. What‘s not to love?
- Warhammer 40k Darktide – The new co-op action title will let you blast hordes of enemies with your PC pals.
With such an exciting and diverse array of games on offer, Game Pass makes it harder than ever to get excited about Games with Gold‘s meager monthly freebies.
So in closing, while I don‘t wish ill for our old pal Games with Gold, the data doesn‘t lie – retirement looks nigh inevitable to streamline subscription offerings. But with cloud gaming and Xbox Game Pass continuing to evolve and thrill, the future remains bright for Xbox faithful!
Let me know what you think – am I way off base forecasting the end of Games with Gold? Which new Game Pass titles will you be playing first? Sound off below!
