56% of Xbox Live members are Gold

**Shrygue** · February 24th, 2009, 18:53

via Computer and Video Games

Over half of the Xbox 360's online userbase pays a Gold subscription to play online, claim statistics from the Seattle PI.

Citing an internal Microsoft document dating between February and June 2008, the report claims that 56 percent of worldwide Xbox Live members paid a Gold subscription at the beginning of last year.

The figure is apparently down from 60% at the same time the year before, which isn't bad if you expect the number of people with Xbox 360s has undoubtedly gone up.

While the figures don't reach into 2009 - or even go past the launch of the New Xbox Experience - the percentage of paying Xbox Live members apparently stayed steady up until its announcement in June 2008.

Expectedly, the highest percentage of Gold subscribers is in the US, where the number stays flat at around 60%.

Speaking in an e-mail statement, Microsoft said: "We've said before that Xbox Live is experiencing incredible growth; in January we had more new Live members join than any other month in the history of Xbox Live.

"With more than 17 million active members, a majority of whom are paying members, Live is a rich social entertainment and gaming experience that is unmatched in the industry."

**jackkill** · February 25th, 2009, 17:30

poor guys, you pay the hardware, you pay the internet, you buy the games, and guess what you pay microsoft to use your hardware and game and your internet connection to unblock your 'given' multiplayer....
thats why game for windows gold is free(PC's xbox live) :-p
smart up people, know your rights just like PC users and stop paying the air you breath just because you bought a new lip gloss :-O

**WhizzBang** · February 25th, 2009, 19:35

I used to be a Gold member but I didn't play online enough to justify renewing.

**nomi** · February 25th, 2009, 21:53

GOLD should be FREE... frikin microsoft!

**beetroot bertie** · February 25th, 2009, 22:00

I'm split on it. I'd rather pay for a good service than have a crappy free one but you do feel like you're continually shelling out. Maybe MS could sweeten it by bundling in loads of points to spend on XBLA etc. I guess if the market is there they have no reason to change their practices