[UPDATE] Microsoft confirmed everything in a detailed blog post published on Xbox Wire. The only difference is that the transition will take place on September 14th.

　　[ORIGINAL STORY] Xbox Live Gold, the basic subscription service that has always been required for Xbox gamers to use online multiplayer on their consoles, may be about to shift into 'Game Pass Core'.

　　Windows Central reported that before taking down the story (likely due to an early announcement). However, the details are still available here.

　　According to the story, Xbox Live Gold will be replaced by Game Pass Core starting on September 1st. The same pricing ($9.99 monthly) will remain, and existing Xbox Live Gold subscribers will obtain an equal amount of Game Pass Core subscription time.

　　They will also gain access to a library of over 25 games from the Game Pass library, such as:

　　Among UsDescendersDishonored 2DOOM EternalFable AnniversaryFallout 4Fallout 76Forza Horizon 4Gears 5GroundedHalo 5: GuardiansHalo Wars 2Hellblade: Senua's SacrificeHuman Fall FlatINSIDEOri and the Will of the WispsPsychonauts 2State of Decay 2Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel UnlimitedOn the other hand, Games with Gold (the freebie initiative bundled with Xbox Live Gold) will also end on September 1st. Of course, any games obtained in the previous years through GwG will stay in the user's library. Last but not least, Game Pass Core subscribers will also enjoy membership deals and discounts.

　　In other Game Pass news, Microsoft announced that the preview of the Game Pass Ultimate Friends and Family plan is ending on August 15th. The wording of the announcement makes it unclear if and when it will ever become a proper offering.

　　We look to take the learnings from the past several months and investigate building an offer which we can launch worldwide in the future.