The company announced a price hike on Friday that would have doubled the cost of a yearly subscription to the service to $ 120 for many users. Now, though, Microsoft says the price will stay the same.

Microsoft has decided to bring Xbox live in line with Sony and Nintendo’s online services by dropping the subscription requirement for free-to-play games. Popular free-to-play titles like Fortnite are available on PlayStation consoles and the Nintendo switch without an online subscription.

Microsoft’s full statement was just delivered as an update to a blog post. The statement was delivered as a update to the blog post.

We failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. We have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing.

We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience. For free-to-play games, you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months.

In the US, $ 9.99 for 1-month, $ 24.99 for 3-months, $ 39.9 for 6-months and $ 39.99 for retail 12-months. New and existing members can continue to enjoy Xbox Live gold for the same prices they pay today.

Microsoft’s Xbox game pass has an ultimate tier that includes access to Xbox Live gold. The gold price increases came off as an attempt to nudge people into paying for the more expensive service.