Microsoft and Xbox are going through some pretty interesting times as of late, both acquiring and closing various studios on the path to forming a new strategy for the gaming division.
What’s more the incredibly popular Game Pass subscription service has had a few confusing changes made to it, ridding Day One games from its more cheaper tier, while also slapping others with price increases.
Naturally, this has gone down horribly with the gaming industry as a whole with many suggesting a boycott due to the change.
It has even caught the attention of the FTC who is now wanting to go back to the courts to battle it out once more.
Now, it appears that Game Pass may be set to become even more convoluted with additional tiers being added.
According to Jez Corden over at Windows Central, “Microsoft is working towards a cloud-only version of its subscription” which will be a cheaper entry point to that of Game Pass Ultimate, the only tier that currently allows players to access games over the cloud.
This makes complete sense with partnerships with both Samsung to bring a dedicated Xbox app to its TVs, and Amazon, allowing game streaming on the various newer gen Fire devices.
At what price point is yet to be seen but we expect something between the PC Game Pass and Ultimate tiers, if Day One games are also included that is.
Microsoft is also “exploring the potential” of ad-based tiers, which seem to be all the rage these days with the likes of Amazon and Netflix fully utilizing this avenue to keep people on board while offering a lower-priced subscription.
As for how this would work with Xbox, we’re not sure. It could be that there is some form of ad insertion when downloading games, or if the tech is in place, maybe even after multiplayer matches in first-party titles.
Corden has also implied that the previously tested Family Plan could make a return and in a more permanent manner, opening up the opportunity for a cheaper overall subscription if you have multiple gamers in your household.
This, however, is a “very tentative” rumor and may not come to fruition in the immediate future, or simply be lost in time.
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