Credit card required for Xbox Live after all?

Peter Moore’s recent interview with MTV has cast doubt on previous reports that Xbox Live won’t require a credit card to activate subscriptions.

The MTV article contained many interesting tidbits, such as Microsoft’s plans for episodic gaming over Xbox Live, full details of the Xbox Live Marketplace’s functionality, and the news that Rare is working on two additional Xbox 360 titles besides Kameo and Perfect Dark Zero.

What caught our attention, however, was the following statement, sandwiched between the news of Rare’s additional titles and the details of the XBL Marketplace:

“Moore confirmed that the free silver membership of Xbox Live on the 360, which allows downloads and networking with friends, won’t require a credit card for sign up.

The gold membership, which allows multiplayer gaming, still requires credit card registration and payment.”

This would seem to contradict Microsoft’s official stance on the issue back in mid-September, when the details of Xbox Live subscription levels were released.

The company’s official press release gave details of prepaid cards that gamers could purchase from retailers for Xbox Live Gold subscriptions, which would eliminate the need for credit card registration and payment.

Of course, the credit card option is still there for those gamers wishing to purchase a subscription from the comfort of their couch.

Our question, then, is: Will credit cards be required for registration on Xbox Live Gold after all? We’ve sent an email to Microsoft’s PR company for clarification, and we’ll let you know their answer as soon as they get back to us.