do i have to join live gold member to play plants vs zombie garden warfare

Once you have paid and signed up for the live gold membership, does this game then allow you to play with another player in the same room (I.e on the same Xbox) my two sons would like to play it together, while I'm happy to pay for the live gold subscription - I'm reluctant to purchase a second Xbox just so they can both play !! Other games allow them to use a second controller - I want to confirm this will work in this case PRIOR to purchasing live gold.
Otherwise, unfortunately, the game will have to be returned.
Many thanks in advance for any helpful advice.