Microsoft is making good on its promise to improve Xbox Live, eliminating the requirement for paid membership to play free-to-play multiplayer games online, and Xbox Insiders are currently testing these new features ahead of general rollout.

Brad Rosetti of Team Xbox said on Twitter that members of the Xbox Insider preview program will no longer require Xbox Live Gold for free-to-play game multiplayer, party chat, or the ability to find groups, a He shared the development on Twitter.

While Microsoft has announced that paid memberships will no longer be a prerequisite for free-to-play games in the not-too-distant future, news of free party chat has not received much attention. However, for players who already pay for Xbox Game Pass and do not want to combine it with an Xbox Live subscription, this move could be a big advantage. At this time, only the Ultimate version of Xbox Game Pass includes a Gold membership in its price.

The Xbox Insider program is a great way to get an early peek at upcoming Xbox features. With the recent launch of the Xbox Series X console, Microsoft is expected to make many tweaks and you will have the opportunity to try out new features before they are released. Information on how to register can be found on the Xbox Insider Program FAQ page.

Microsoft appears to be working out the details of the online service as Game Pass becomes more popular. The company has changed the name of Xbox Live to Xbox Network and is still figuring out what to do with Xbox Live Gold. The company attempted to raise fees in January, but quickly backed down after the announcement drew a negative response.

We think Microsoft should have ditched the need to pay for party chat a while ago, especially now that free voice chat services like Discord are widespread. Microsoft has expressed interest in acquiring Discord and may integrate its chat program into its PC and console services. For now, the two companies are still negotiating, but given these potential improvements, Sony may need to step things up.