Just a few weeks after Microsoft hiked up the price for Xbox Game Pass subscriptions (including introducing new tiers), the company is now reportedly considering adding more tiers to the subscription service. This will apparently include a cloud-only option, ad-supported tiers and the return of the family subscription option.
As reported by Windows Central, Microsoft might be gearing up to make Xbox Game Pass a bit more confusing than it already was with more new tiers. Windows Central mentions a cloud-only option will be available to those that have a stable internet and availability of the streaming plan. It will also be quite beneficial to those that don’t own a console. It will also be cheaper than purchasing a higher-tier subscription.
Windows Central has also heard rumours of Xbox potentially bringing back its Game Pass Friends and Family Plan, which Microsoft briefly tested in select countries between 2022 and 2023. This allowed up to five users to access a single subscription for $24,99 – a plan that might seem familiar to people who’ve seen it used on streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus. The report finally mentions that Microsoft isn’t actively working towards an ad-based subscription tier.
The recent Xbox Game Pass price hike wasn’t met with a warm reception online. Players were vocal about how confusing the tiers had become, which will now limit day one exclusive releases to higher tiers as opposed to just purchasing the standard Game Pass Core/Ultimate and having access to all content as it launched. The FTC even called the price increase “consumer harm” and “product degradation”.
Microsoft seems confident enough that users will still buy into Game Pass for its upcoming first-party releases like Avowed and Indiana Jones and The Great Circle. However, since Xbox began porting its exclusives over to other platforms like PlayStation and Nintendo, some are beginning to question if it’s worth investing in Xbox at all or simply waiting for games to inevitably go multiplatform.
Source: Windows Central
