What the Hell is Going on with Game Pass?

Game Pass has been central to Microsoft’s strategy in gaming for as long as it’s been around, which is a little over seven years at this point, and though that’s obviously unlikely to change anytime soon, the company recently announced a set of changes that it is making to its subscription service that are proving unpopular with a sizeable portion of the Xbox community, to the point that many are even calling into question the whole point of Game Pass, and whether the service has accomplished what it set out to do for Microsoft.

Before we get into that, however, let’s talk through those changes, of which there’s quite a few. The headline here – or one of them, at least – is that Game Pass is once again getting a price increase. That’s happened a handful of times over the last few years, from regional hikes to platform-specific ones and what have you, and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer himself said earlier this year that further price hikes were more or less inevitable. On top of that, with Activision Blizzard’s back catalog bound to start hitting the service’s already massive catalog before too long, it was only a matter of time before Microsoft decided that it was leaving money on the table not charging higher for Game Pass, given the value proposition it boasts.

Going forward, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will cost $20 per month instead of $17, PC Game Pass will cost $12 per month instead of $10, and Xbox Game Pass Core’s monthly price will remain unchanged at $9.99, though its annual subscription price will go up from $60 for the year to $75. For fairness’ sake, the price hikes themselves aren’t necessarily significant ones in terms of pure monetary value, especially for the value they still provide, though they also come with what it at this point the implicit understanding that this is far from the last time we’re going to see such hikes for Game Pass. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if we saw at least another significant price increases for the service even in the next couple of years- as much as that would suck, Microsoft knows that, thanks to value on offer, Game Pass can get away with at least a few more price increases… for now.

The larger issue, however, isn’t the price increases themselves- because, yes, that isn’t the only major headline. On top of increasing subscription prices for all tiers, Microsoft has also announced that it is discontinuing the base console Xbox Game Pass tier, unless you’re an existing subscriber, in which case you’ll be allowed to run out your subscription. For everyone else, however, Microsoft will be offering a new option in the coming months (a specific release date is as yet unknown) in the form of Xbox Game Pass Standard, which will be priced at $15 per month  – and this is the not-so-silver bullet – and not include access to day one Game Pass releases.

Now that bit in particular is where the problem arises. Since the day it was first unveiled, Game Pass’ whole thing has been day one releases. That’s been central to its whole identity, that’s been it’s biggest selling point by far, and that has been among the biggest reasons why anyone would subscribe to the service. Having the promise of getting access to every single first-party title (and several third-party ones) on the day of their release without having to buy them has been one of Game Pass’ biggest, most irresistible strengths- and Microsoft is diluting it.

Xbox Game Pass Standard is obviously not the first time that the company has removed access to day one releases for a section of the Game Pass user base. It wasn’t that long ago, after all, that it introduced a new cheapest tier of the service in the form of Xbox Game Pass Core, which, on top of only offering a much smaller catalog of games, also did not include day one releases. This, however, feels different. The primary purpose of Game Pass Core was to replace Xbox Live Gold as the paywall for online multiplayer, and it didn’t replace anything. Microsoft only offered as a new, additional, cheaper option.

Xbox Game Pass Standard, however, is replacing the base Xbox Game Pass console tier, and taking away a significant selling point, which was access to all day one releases. Following the changes that Microsoft has now implemented, if you’re on an Xbox console and looking to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, the only way to get access to day one games, the only way to do so is to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. And hey, guess what that means? It means having to pay the highest possible monthly subscription fee, of course. PC audiences do at least still have it much better in that they’re continuing to get day one games at $12 per month.

Figuring out which tier of Game Pass offers what perks is now become an exercise unto itself, which is particularly frustrating because this isn’t the first time that Microsoft has been blamed for complicating things unnecessarily. Whether it’s the confusing naming conventions of Xbox consoles or the confusing tiers that Game Pass has available, Microsoft seems hellbent on taking things that should be simple and giving you the most baffling headaches with them. Game Pass is an excellent idea, and clearly it’s one that people are more than happy to pay for, at least within the range of prices it has operated in so far- but Microsoft is doing the opposite of simplifying things here.

It’s also worth wondering what necessitated the price increases in the first place, but following that particular thread doesn’t do any favours for Microsoft. From Circana’s Mat Piscatela to Niko Partners’ Daniel Ahmed, industry analysts say that, based on the data, it’s clear that Game Pass hasn’t achieved the sort of growth that Microsoft would have liked. There have, of course, been reports that have suggested the same, with the company allegedly not having seen the level of rapid growth in subscriber numbers on PC and via cloud that it had hoped it would. That is on top of the fact that on console, the service has pretty much hit its cap, something that Microsoft itself has outright said as well. How, then, do you achieve that growth through other means? Why, you drive subscribers on console – i.e. your most dedicated and commercially viable users – to buy the most expensive tier that is available by making day one releases exclusive to it.

So what exactly does all of that says about the future of Game Pass? Well, that’s very much the question. At the end of the day, it has to be said that even now, even at its current prices, Game Pass remains a solid deal. With a library of hundreds and hundreds of games and the guarantee of day one releases, even at $20 per month, Game Pass Ultimate is still an irresistible prospect, and at $12, PC Game Pass definitely is- though depending on your playing habits, tastes, and financial situation, that can obviously be entirely subjective. In spite of that, however, one can’t help but wonder what kind of damage the removal of the base console tier and its day one releases from the equation has done to Game Pass’ larger messaging, and how significant it will be in the long run, if at all.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.