- Paul Tassi has reported that a Microsoft spokesperson told him that they have nothing to announce today regarding Xbox Game Pass changes.
- Previous reports had revealed that Xbox was planning to remove day-one games from Game Pass.
- The report had also mentioned new subscriptions, with one of them enabling in-app ads.
After recent reports of Xbox Game Pass planning to remove day-one launches, Microsoft has finally responded. However, instead of denying the claims or clarifying upcoming plans, they responded with “nothing to announce today.”
Industry expert Paul Tassi had reached out to a Microsoft spokesperson, asking for clarification regarding the Xbox Game Pass change reports. The reply basically said that they test out new subscriptions for Game Pass now and then, and no changes are yet finalized. The games previously announced are still coming to Game Pass Ultimate on day one.
Here is the exact statement: “We regularly test different Game Pass offerings and look at what works best for players in different markets. We don’t have any changes to announce today or plans that have been finalized. There are no changes to previously announced games coming to Game Pass Ultimate on day one.”
The leaked report mentioned that Xbox Game Pass plans to introduce an advertisement tier (having in-app ads) and a premium tier. The advertisement tier was said to be priced at $12.99 per month, while the premium tier was said to be priced at $19.99 per month.
The reports even suggested that Cloud Gaming would become completely separate, priced at $5.99 per month. There was also a mention of a separate online multiplayer tier for $10.99.
Overall, the ad-tier would be a reduction of $3 for the Essential tier subscribers, with the exception of day-one launches. Changes to Xbox Game Pass were inevitable. The subscription numbers were not meeting Xbox’s expectations for years, and with recent price hikes, it has only become worse. New reports have revealed that Xbox Game Pass cancellations due to the price hike have seen an increase.
It’s clear that simply increasing the price can be more detrimental. But Microsoft seems not to have made any final decision just yet. What do you think about this entire thing? Let us know in the comments below.
