Microsoft has removed the option to buy a 12-month Xbox Live Gold membership from the Microsoft Store, leaving only 1 and 3 month subscriptions.
“At this time Xbox has decided to remove the 12 month Xbox Live Gold SKU from the Microsoft online Store,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Neowin. “Customers can still sign up for a 1 month or 3 month Xbox Live Gold subscription online through the Microsoft Store.”
As noted by Neowin, you can still gift 6 months of the subscription to a friend. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can also purchase 12 months of the subscription for someone else, which naturally includes the 12-month Xbox Live Gold membership that’s part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, along with access to the Game Pass catalog on both console and PC and, as of September 2020, Project xCloud streaming.
Given that the Xbox Series X is due out later this year, it’s likely that Microsoft is planning something behind the scenes and shaking up how Xbox Live memberships work.
For now, though, if you still want to sign up and enjoy all the premium features of Xbox Live, you can buy yourself a Gold membership on the Microsoft Store by following the link here. Happy gaming!