“From the early days of gaming, playing online was always free. There were several exceptions, like World of Warcraft but that doesn’t justify monthly fees. We buy games; we pay for the entire game! Both singleplayer and multiplayer. Asking for additional fees is simply “milking”, and it is unacceptable. Paying $50-$60 yearly just to access Live service is simply unfair and unjustified.”
But never mind the fee, the protesters add. Let’s just say you’re not that greedy and you are willing to pay for a Gold account. Well good luck with your immigration plans, because the service is yet to be made available worldwide. If you happen to live in one of the 26 countries featuring the service, than it’s your luck. However, there are yet no plans for the remaining 231 countries, so the chances are really stacked up against at least some of you.
The lucky readers are currently living in United States, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, South Korea, Singapore, Portugal, Norway, New Zealand, Netherlands, Mexico, Japan, Italy, Ireland, India, Hong Kong, Germany, France, Finland, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, Austria and Australia.
In addition, the protest also targets the developers and publishers supporting the Live service, as well as several games playing to Microsoft’s tune. The complete lists (as well as the page of the protest itself) are available here.