Only About 50% of Xbox Live Subscribers Go for Gold

It seems that just about 50% of the people who have registered for an Xbox Live account are willing to pay to enjoy the perks of a Gold membership. The others are just as happy to use a Silver account, which is free. The Gold membership costs 49.99 dollars, if you are ready to pay for a whole year. This is the best deal you can get, but there are also memberships for just one month or for three months.

The data has been revealed by the Seattle P-I and is attributed to an internal Microsoft document that the source has seen. The document seems to be dated February 2008 and contains the projections the company has regarding Xbox Live up to June 2008. It might seem a bit outdated, but nothing has happened in the last six months to suggest that Xbox Live Gold is suddenly much more attractive and a bigger share of Xbox 360 users opt for it.

Why would someone only get a Silver subscription? This kind of account for Xbox Live allows players to download add ons and Xbox Live exclusive games but it does not allow players to go online and set up multiplayer matches against other human opponents. The Gold membership is the only way to do that.

In the United States, around 60% of the Xbox Live accounts are Gold ones, while, worldwide, the figure is closer to 56%.

Microsoft refused co comment directly on the document, stating that “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.”