Microsoft is now said to be looking into the possibility of introducing a new Game Pass membership tier with limited ad-funded pricing during game sessions.
Microsoft hasn’t changed much when it comes to subscription levels for its Game Pass service in recent years. Now the company is said to be considering experimenting a bit and tapping into other platforms and services by including advertising in a cheaper subscription.
Currently, the regular Game Pass subscription from Microsoft costs SEK 99 per month. This then includes a huge library of games and access to games from developers that are part of Xbox Game Studios on launch day. This tier also includes a subscription to the EA Play service. The slightly pricier Game Pass Ultimate also includes the option to enjoy your game library via phone or tablet and Xbox Live Gold for SEK 135 per month.
Now claim a place at ResetEra that Microsoft recently sent out a survey in which, among other things, it wants to know how Xbox users feel about a cheaper subscription level. This would then cost around SEK 30 per month, but comes the other way with commercial breaks before a game title starts. Users should still get online features similar to Xbox Live Gold, but Xbox Game Studios games will be available six months after launch.
However, this isn’t the first time that a fix like this has been rumored to be on the way. Microsoft hasn’t currently confirmed any cheaper editions of Game Pass, so what the company’s plans are remains to be seen. As usual, a pinch of salt is advised along with the gossip. However, more and more companies are experimenting with ad-funded subscriptions and the like, so it’s probably not entirely impossible that Microsoft has at least considered such a solution to boost subscriber numbers.
