Today, we’re continuing our commitment to give players more choice and value by introducing Xbox Game Pass Core, launching on September 14. Game Pass Core is the evolution of Xbox Live Gold. Game Pass Core will give players access to our advanced multiplayer network, a select collection of over 25 g...
Games with Gold literally gave you ownership of a game. This is a subscription that gives you access to games. That’s more than a semantic difference and is a trend we have to be wary of.
I think they meant more with Gold you always have access to those games. With a sub the available games can come and go, so you may lose access to specific games if they leave the service.
Games with Gold only gave your permanent licenses for Xbox and Xbox 360 games. Xbox One games were limited to the console you claimed them on, I believe. Or they could only be played from your account. I know it wasn’t as ‘far reaching’ as the 360 games were.