New Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will no longer have the option to pay $1 (or around R16) for its affordable first-month trials. Microsoft recently confirmed that it would be stopping this feature for Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass in order to explore “different marketing promotions” for newcomers to Xbox’s ecosystem in the future.
The first-month trial has been a staple of Xbox for years, essentially allowing players to try out the Game Pass subscription service for a very low price before deciding if they should renew it the following month with its normal charge rates. Newcomers would be given all the benefits of the service including access to the massive library of games available on Game Pass through this trial but it looks like other marketing promotions, whatever they will be, are currently being evaluated by Microsoft.
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Confirming the news via The Verge, Xbox head of global communications Kari Perez stated:
“We have stopped our previous introductory offer for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass and are evaluating different marketing promotions for new members in the future.”
While this may seem like bad news, Microsoft recently offered an alternate solution with the Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan, which allows up to five people to share one subscription payment per month or year and have access to the service. If you’re a solo player and just entering the Xbox ecosystem, though, you’ll unfortunately have to pay the regular monthly rate for Game Pass Ultimate access, at least for now.
That said, if you have a PC, Game Pass is slightly cheaper there than on console. It costs R99 on PC for a monthly subscription instead of R159 on Xbox consoles. The prices haven’t changed for a while but Xbox boss Phil Spencer stated last year that the company could raise prices on “certain things” in the future.
Source: The Verge
