It looks like Microsoft isn’t done making big changes to its big subscription service. Xbox Game Pass already lost on day one Call of Duty earlier this year in exchange for a price cut, but the Netflix-like program is reportedly getting an even bigger overhaul in the near future.
According to FortuneCEO Asha Sharma wants to transform Game Pass from a single-price all-you-can-eat buffet into a more a la carte arrangement. The service would still be tiered, but players would be able to choose which add-ons they pay for. Cloud gaming, multiplayer gaming, and console-only gaming would be some of the options users can choose from.
This seems like a way to control costs and increase subscriber numbers while removing services that most people don’t use or charging those who do use them significantly more. This would be in line with Microsoft’s existing testing for an ad-supported tier of Game Pass that would lower the barrier to entry for people who aren’t already hardcore gamers.
But the other thing that seems inevitable is that the rest of Xbox’s first-party games will be removed from the initial offering. The company has already been moving in this direction for years with Premium Edition upgrades that charge players $30 for early access to games that will be available at no additional cost a few days later through Game Pass.
Leaked internal charts suggest that Microsoft was once aiming for over 100 million subscribers, only for the service’s growth to stabilize around 35 million and the entire business model around Xbox, this generation of consoles, to collapse as a result. The next batch of Xbox blockbusters begins in February 2027 with Fable. I assume this reported Game Pass overhaul will officially roll out sometime before then.
Gn tech
