Highlights
- Gamers may want to prepare for a possible Xbox Game Pass price increase soon, as rumors suggest Microsoft is considering another hike to subsidize game releases.
- Some sources hint at a new Game Pass tier coming, possibly ad-based, as a cheaper alternative to avoid the rumored price hike.
- Despite recent scrutiny, Xbox is continuing to make controversial choices, and another Game Pass price increase would be another example of that.
Some new claims made by notable Xbox content creator, Rand al Thor 19, suggest that Microsoft is preparing to raise the price of Xbox Game Pass again in the near future. In what has been a wave of bad news for the Xbox brand over the last week or so, yet another price increase for Xbox Game Pass is probably the last thing most subscribers want to hear. There could, however, be a silver lining to all of these rumors.
Despite providing a lot of value for its fans, Xbox's flagship subscription service has been met with intense scrutiny over the years from those who have questioned its sustainability. The criticism has only gotten worse lately, thanks to a number of bad news and rumors hitting Xbox over the last couple of days. Just recently, The Verge's Tom Warren reported that Microsoft is actively considering another price hike for Game Pass Ultimate. He also claimed that the company is having debates about releasing future Call of Duty games on the service day-one. Now, it seems like some parts of Warren's report are being corroborated by another source, which happens to have some additional information as well.
New Report is Grim for PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass
A new report is bad news for video game subscription services like Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass and Sony's PlayStation Plus.
In a recent episode of the Xbox Two Podcast, popular Xbox content creator Rand al Thor 19 claimed that he heard another price increase for Game Pass is "actually. . . happening." He didn't clarify, however, whether Microsoft plans to apply the price hike to all tiers of the service or only to GP Ultimate, as Tom Warren initially reported. Speaking to fellow insider Jez Corden, Rand al Thor 19 also said that he's even heard "a new tier of Game Pass is coming," but he has "no idea what is involved, what it would be, or what it is."
If this information is to be believed, it would fall in line with claims that the growth of the subscription service has stagnated. However, another Game Pass price increase is inevitable, regardless. Even though the cost of the service was raised by $2 about a year ago, Microsoft might raise its price again to subsidize the cannibalization of Call of Duty sales if future games in the franchise come to the service day-one. And, judging from some recent statements made by Xbox president Sarah Bond, it looks like the company is still vowing to put all of its first-party titles on Game Pass day-and-date.
An Ad-Based Version of Game Pass Might Be A Good Way To Avoid The Rumored Price Hike
Meanwhile, speculation has circulated in recent months that Microsoft is planning to introduce a cheaper, ad-based version of Game Pass in the future, which might be the new GP tier that Rand al Thor 19 heard of. If this is the case, those who want to avoid this rumored price hike can still subscribe to the service at a lower cost, so long as they're willing to watch ads. It may not be a suitable option for everyone, but at the very least, a new Xbox Game Pass tier like this could be a good alternative.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft's flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.