An offer for prorated refunds on Xbox Live Gold have been announced not long after major modifications to Xbox Live Gold were announced on Tuesday by Microsoft.

A slew of popular third-party apps will no longer be locked behind the paywall, the company revealed. The announcement of dropping subscription Gold paywalls for "popular entertainment experiences" came from Phil Spencer, who is the current head of Xbox.

Gaming apps including Twitch, Machinima, Netflix, and HBO Go will no longer require Gold membership. Some sports and Microsoft experiences will also now become freely available.

Microsoft's changes are welcome news in the long run for those who use Xbox as an entertainment machine rather than a multiplayer gaming hub. However, this has left some frustrated fans who have prepaid on Gold for one year and will no longer be needing it for anything they cared for after the changes go into effect in June. Microsoft, on its part, has addressed this issue by announcing yesterday that those who want to cancel the altered service between June and August will get refunds for their outstanding Gold time.

Microsoft said in an FAQ:

"Once the Xbox One and Xbox 360 system updates become available in June, Xbox Live Gold members who purchased a paid membership before that day can cancel and receive a pro-rata refund of any unused remaining days between the date of cancellation and the date their paid Gold membership ends."

To get your refund, you need to request cancellation and a pro-rate refund before Aug. 31, 2014. Processing will take 6-8 weeks. Free Gold memberships are not eligible for refunds. You can ask for pro-rata refund in June when the systems updates are available by going here, where more information will become available after the changes go into effect. The precise date of the transition has not been released yet.