With January 2016 just a few weeks away, Xbox One owners are already wondering about what titles will be offered for free via the Xbox Live Games with Gold deals.
Unfortunately, Microsoft has made no formal announcements about that list yet, but fans may now have a better way to predict what those games might ultimately be, as reported by MNR Daily.
According to the website, Microsoft has adopted a pattern of making triple A titles available via the service but only at certain times during the year, and those instances are not accidental. Microsoft is believed to be making the older triple A games available via the Xbox Live Games with Gold service a month ahead of when a new title from that same franchise might be launched.
An example the website points to was when "The Witcher 2" was made available via the service in January just a month before "The Witcher 3" was eventually released. Microsoft has done the same thing with other major releases later in the year.
The pattern should allow players to better predict what games will soon be made available through the Xbox Live Games with Gold service next year, although it is still not a foolproof indicator of the coming lineup.
As for what fans can expect to play for free via the service in January, only one title has been confirmed for now.
According to GameSpot, "Thief" is now available via the Xbox Live Games with Gold service and it will continue to be playable up until Jan. 15, 2016.
Microsoft typically waits until well into the current month before they announce what new titles will be coming through the Xbox Live Games with Gold service when the calendar turns over, so it may still be a while before there is a formal announcement from them.
