Xbox Games with Gold ending, replaced by Game Pass Core
https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-game-pass/core
Microsoft is ending Xbox Live Gold, and it will be replaced with a new tier of Game Pass called “Core”, starting September 14, 2023.
Most things will remain the same (such as the price), but there are a couple of notable changes:
The “Games With Gold” program will not be continued (1) Instead, members will gain access to 25 games from the Game Pass library, as selected by Microsoft (with supposedly a few being added every year) Subscribers of Xbox Live Gold will be automatically moved over to Game Pass Core when it starts on September 14th.
(1) In regards to members with previous GwG items in their libraries, any claimed Xbox One titles will remain in their library as long as they continue their Game Pass Core subscription, and any claimed Xbox 360 games will be available regardless of subscription status - just like how Games with Gold worked previously
While I will kinda miss it being gone, I think it's probably for the best. With how little the price difference was between gold and game pass, and how much better a deal the latter was, I can't imagine there were many folks still buying the former anyhow
I read somewhere that the base game pass for console doesn't include online multiplayer. That seems weird but might explain why the price is close to gold.
This is correct. To get both you need Ultimate.
Getting both requires Game Pass Ultimate, so 70% more expensive, but still a much better value. Also, given the quality of games with gold over the past few years, a selection of 25 game pass titles will be a much better complementary offering.
The more likely reason for this, in my estimation, is wordplay. Because all of Sony's offerings are called "PS Plus", they can brag about having "60 million Plus Subscribers" and make their Game Pass competitor sound much more popular than it actually is. This will level the playing field.