Microsoft could do like Netflix and offer a cheaper offer for the Xbox Game Pass while including advertising. For the moment, the firm has contented itself with a survey and there is nothing to confirm that such a project will really materialize.
The Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service offering a very large catalog of video games. Several formulas exist (Console, PC, Ultimate), all are paying, but none include advertising.
And this is precisely where a kind of Xbox Game Pass Lite would come in. As the remark Windows Central, a publication on the ResetEra forum puts the chip in the ear. We discover in fact a survey sent to users asking them what they would think of a new Game Pass subscription formula.
This offer, which could be an Xbox Game Pass Lite, would cost 2.99 euros per month and would include the distribution of advertisements before the launch of video games. Before going any further, note that, to get a good deal, you can also subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate at a bargain price thanks to a tip.
The tradeoffs of Game Pass with advertising
In addition to advertising, other compromises should be observed on this new Game Pass formula. Games from Microsoft studios would only be available six months after their release and people subscribing to this subscription would not be entitled to promotions on certain games.
In addition, the catalog would probably be a little more limited since there would not be the promise of playing more than a hundred games. Anyone opting for this cheaper offer should also choose whether they want to enjoy it on console or PC.
Who’s Xbox Live Gold?
However, the table above does mention the online multiplayer feature. In other words, Xbox Live Gold would be nice on this cheaper Game Pass. And that raises questions.
The Live Gold subscription is 6.99 euros per month, more than twice the price of the potential Xbox Game Pass Lite. The calculation seems quite incongruous for Microsoft on this side. A good opportunity to remember that the cheaper offer with advertising is probably far from already under construction.
It is probably simply an idea that the Redmond firm is thinking about, but nothing allows us to say with certainty that this new subscription will indeed see the light of day.
A patent that falls well
Nevertheless, the track is interesting to follow since, as reminded Windows Central, Microsoft has applied for a patent for a system that can spot when interactivity on a game is dropping — for example, during a loading screen. This could then deliver, in the meantime, advertisements reflected on the users’ interests.
Again, it should be remembered that a patent does not mean that an idea will actually materialize. However, this makes it clear that Microsoft has a real interest in it.
Finally, it will be recalled that, on the side of SVoD services, Netflix recently launched a cheaper offer with advertising. The Game Pass could therefore be inspired by this initiative… but we should be prepared for a rather cold reception.
I recently discovered the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on my Series X and I take great pleasure in discovering this richly supplied catalog. A way for me to rediscover the world of games…
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