No plans for free Xbox Live Gold weekend in Europe

A Microsoft spokesperson has told GamesIndustry.biz that the promotional event which will allow Xbox 360 owners to try out online gaming for free will only be open to US gamers.

All Xbox 360 units come with a free Silver subscription, which allows owners to download games, demos and trailers from the Xbox Live Marketplace. In order to play games online, gamers must pay for a Gold subscription at a cost of either USD 7.99 per month or USD 49.99 per year.

The free trial event, which is tentatively scheduled to take place in April, will offer all Xbox Live Silver subscribers the same access as Xbox Live Gold users for 72 hours - providing they live in the States.

"This is an American only event sponsored by Verizon," a Microsoft spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz.

"There are no current plans for the same event in Europe and we do not have any announcements to make at the moment."