Microsoft and Xbox convinced many that it was OK not to own their game library and that it was better to use a subscription service. On the surface, it is a win for gamers on a slim budget because with Xbox Game Pass, they could play more games compared to purchasing them separately—but there is always a hidden cost!
In an October 1 message published on Xbox Wire and credited to Team Xbox, the company said, “Since launching in 2017, we’ve steadily grown our subscriber and creator satisfaction – and today, creator participation and player engagement in Game Pass are at an all-time high. But we have the opportunity for Game Pass to help more players find the creators and games they love.”
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“Starting today, we’re introducing three upgraded Game Pass plans based on how players play: Essential, Premium, and Ultimate. Each includes expanded game libraries, including PC titles, unlimited cloud gaming, in-game benefits (including Riot Games titles), and a revamped Rewards with Xbox experience. Today’s Game Pass Core subscribers will automatically move to Essential, Standard subscribers will transition to Premium, and Ultimate subscribers will remain in the Ultimate plan.”
The flowery intro was followed by an infographic that showed the price of Game Pass Ultimate had increased by 50% from $19.99 to $29.99. Here is a brief rundown of everything you will get with each of the tiers.
Game Pass Essential ($9.99/month)
- 50+ Games (now playable on PC, console, & cloud)
- Unlimited cloud gaming
- In-game benefits, including for Riot Games
- Online console multiplayer
- Play and earn up to $25 a year in the Store with Rewards
Game Pass Premium ($14.99/month)
- 200+ Games
- New Xbox-published games within a year of launch
- Unlimited cloud gaming with shorter wait times
- In-game benefits, including for Riot Games
- Online console multiplayer
- Play and earn up to $50 a year in the Store with Rewards
Game Pass Ultimate ($29.99/month)
- 400+ games
- 75+ day one games a year, including all Xbox-published games day one
- Ubisoft+ Classics an EA Play included, with Fortnite Crew coming in November
- Unlimited cloud gaming at our best quality with the shortest wait times
- In-game benefits, including for Riot Games
- Online console multiplayer
- Play and earn up to $100 a year in the Store with Rewards
Some of the upcoming releases that Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will get access to day one include Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, High on Life 2, Keeper, Ninja Gaiden 4, and The Outer Worlds 2. Also, from November 18, the $11.99/month valued Fortnite Crew will be added to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers at no extra cost. The content includes Fortnite Battle Pass, 1,000 V-Bucks each month, and more.
The rise in Game Pass Ultimate price is coming on the heels of widespread price increases in the company’s gaming division. Microsoft recently announced an increase in the price of Xbox consoles in the US. The price hike made some believe there is no more incentive to own an Xbox console.
The hidden cost of the Xbox Game Pass subscription service
In July, the president and creative director of WolfEye Studio, Raphael Colantonio, slammed Game Pass as being the cause of the mass layoffs in the company he founded, Arkane Studios.
He called Game Pass an “unsustainable model that has been damaging the industry for a decade”. His argument was that the service affected sales, which Microsoft denied at the beginning. He spoke from the eye of a developer.
However, from the eye of a player, the hidden cost of Xbox Game Pass is that it creates a culture where players think paying $50 or more for a game is outrageous. Why pay such an amount when you can pay less for a subscription service and get access to more games?
The problem is that once that culture has taken hold of any consumer, it gives Microsoft the leverage to increase the prices of Game Pass tiers without consequences—because they will still be technically cheaper than purchasing each of the titles independently. In other words, Microsoft is bleeding cash in subsidizing games to create a culture among players, which they can exploit later.
