Microsoft Offers "Friendship" for Silver Xbox Live Users

[Logan Frederick]

Microsoft Offers "Friendship" for Silver Xbox Live Users

Silver Xbox Live accounts will have access to free online multiplayer in eight Xbox Live Arcade games during December.

The "Friendship is Free" program running through the holidays will introduce Xbox Live Silver members, who don't pay the $50 annual fee for access to all of the service's features, mainly online play, to the open world of teenage-swearing, tea-bagging multiplayer gaming.

The eight titles that are part of the deal are: A Kingdom for Keflings, Aegis Wing, Bomberman Live, Hardwood Hearts, Hardwood Spades, UNO, Small Arms and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.

While most gamers are already aware of the special additions $50 can buy, casual players who might be interested in testing out XBLA games could be convinced to try the full, upgraded Xbox Live experience [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/85401-Avatars-Seen-as-Logical-Extension-of-Xbox-Experience].

Source: Major Nelson [http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/12/04/xbox-live-friendship-is-free-program.aspx]

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[nimrandir]

Why did Carcassonne and Undertow not make the list? For crying out loud, they gave the games away for free! Apart from Aegis Wing, they are making people pay money before they can sample the experience. Does that not defeat the point of this exercise?

 

[WTEricson]

"Friendship is free" for 1/12 of the fiscal year..... and only on crappy games.... Thanks Santasoft.

 

[Lance Icarus]

This is like getting a really itchy sweater. You have it, but you're never going to use it. Come on, why not put some free multiplayer on Halo or something? People will use that and you might even suck in a few new Gold members.

 

[Novajam]

I think that free multiplayer weekends spread out across the year would be a better idea. Maybe once each month or two for 48 hours, allow and silver member access to multiplayer in any game.

Honestly? Hardwood Hearts?

 

[Esdras]

This worked out great for my sister. She uses my xbox to chat with her boyfriend now.

 

[Virgil]

Why did Carcassonne and Undertow not make the list? For crying out loud, they gave the games away for free! Apart from Aegis Wing, they are making people pay money before they can sample the experience. Does that not defeat the point of this exercise?

I think the point is to showcase the variety in the games, and to sell more copies of them. If you think of this as only a way to get existing customers to upgrade to Live Gold, you're really missing half the picture. Remember, everyone that gets an Xbox for the holidays is already going to have a free trial of Gold anyway - that's probably not their main goal.

I suspect that their research says that this selection of games is likely to be the most appealing to newcomers to Xbox Live. Also, several of these games have appear on the recent bestsellers list [http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/12/02/live-activity-for-week-of-november-24th.aspx]. The free weekends are to get more people playing them.

The point is likely to sell more copies of these games (Hey look! Free advertisement on every game news site and blog!), or at least to get more people to try them. The secondary goal is likely to have enough people playing that the newcomers are more likely to get hooked and keep Gold past the trial.

 

[Uros tha hustla sesum]

great more bullshit why dont they just give us a free xbox live gold account then silver for free instead?

 

[jthm]

How about just make the service free and make up the difference in advertising? Or make better games. I'm getting rid of my gold account when it expires in October, due to disuse. I haven't played any game good enough to make me want to pay money and have my ears raped by racist children. I checked my "people met" category the other day and realized it's been almost 200 days since I last played a game online on my 360.

Don't get me wrong, I loved COD4 too... for a while. Lately though it's just not worth playing online if you have to suffer through the community. I could mute everyone, but then there's no teamwork and the game suffers for it. If I wanted to play against silent opponents, I'd hook my ps3 back up.

 

[jp201]

nice low quality free online gaming

PSN is still free to play online

 

[Alphakirby]

WHO PLAYS THOSE!?