Games with Gold is heading to Xbox One in June (as announced yesterday along with the Kinect-less console bundle), and the first month's offerings will be Halo: Spartan Assault and Max: The Curse of Brotherhood. What wasn't immediately obvious from the announcement was the news that continued use of any downloaded Games with Gold titles will require a paid-up Gold subscription.
On Xbox 360, where the promotion originated, you can play downloaded titles even with a lapsed subscription, but this isn't the case with the new-gen version of the deal. Now, in order to access the free games, you'll have to make sure that your Gold membership is always up-to-date.
"On Xbox One, active Gold membership required to play free games you've downloaded," it says at the bottom of the infographic that appeared alongside the announcement, confirming what was hinted at in the statement: "Members will have subscription-based access to free games ranging from top hits to breaking indie stars."
Gold membership covers both Xbox One and Xbox 360, with the promotion enjoying its one year anniversary on the old-gen console next month. To mark the occasion next month's offerings, Dark Souls and Charlie Murder, are being joined by a third free title, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.