Xbox Live Gold was always going to drop the free-to-play paywall this year

On Friday morning, Microsoft announced it was increasing the price of its Xbox Live Gold subscription service. By Friday evening, it reversed that decision and then some. In an update to its news post about the price change, the company explained that it had “messed up.” And according to sources familiar with the matter, Xbox leadership came to that conclusion quickly after a loud public outcry from gamers — but also from feedback within other Xbox teams.

Going forward, new and existing Xbox Live Gold subscribers can join the service for the current price. That means $10 per month, $25 for three months, $40 for six months, and $60 for a year. That’s opposed to the now-abandoned plan to increase prices to $11 per month, $30 for three months, and $60 for six months. On top of that, you will soon no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to access online features for free-to-play games.