Microsoft announced today that it will be ending its long-running introductory offer for Game Pass, which allowed users to try out the service for a month for only $1 before moving on to the full price. This deal applied to both Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, but has since been pulled for both, meaning new customers can no longer dip their toes into the waters of Game Pass before taking the plunge.
Anecdotally, the $1 introductory offer was incredibly effective in hooking new members. It certainly got me into PC Game Pass – I was drawn by the idea of a huge library that cost only a dollar, then tried it out and immediately realised that it was very worth the full monthly price. Even if you only play two or three games a year on the subscription, it’s incredible value for the sheer number of titles you have access to, and the range of indies available is incredible. I also know that without that incredibly cheap first month, I likely never would have tried it, since I don’t like wasting money on subscriptions I don’t end up using.
I also believe that Game Pass is a huge reason that Xbox sales are still high – while I’ve been torn between buying an Xbox Series X and a PS5, a big factor tipping me towards the Xbox is Game Pass. I’m already paying for it – what’s a few more dollars a month for access to such a great library of games? I say this as a former PlayStation Plus subscriber: Game Pass simply has better games. PlayStation exclusives are, historically, more up my alley (and win more plaudits), but Game Pass allows me to try older games I actually want to play at no risk of feeling like I wasted my money. Xbox exclusives usually arrive on Game Pass day one, at no extra cost. PlayStation exclusives can take over a year to hit PS Plus, or may never arrive at all. To The Verge, Microsoft said it’s ‘evaluating different marketing promotions for new members in the future’, but right now, it’s being replaced with nothing.
Without this hook, Microsoft will have to come up with an equally good pull for Game Pass, or risk losing potential customers for not just the subscription service, but Xbox in general. It’s possible that it will be succeeded by the Xbox Game Pass Friends and Family scheme, which will allow subscribers to share a subscription with up to four friends or family members, though it’s limited to eight unique accounts over a calendar year. Under this scheme, every month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate would be converted into 18 days of Game Pass Friends and Family, with piecemeal tiers getting only 12 days of the same scheme per month.
So far, the scheme is still unavailable in the US but has been undergoing testing in Colombia and the Republic of Ireland since 2022. Assuming this scheme is expanded to the rest of the world, you’d be paying about $5 for everything you’re currently paying three times that price for. It’s a surefire way to boost subscriber numbers, and maybe even Xbox sales. That’s important since Game Pass’s growth has been slower than Microsoft hoped – I can’t imagine why, since it’s the best subscription service out there right now, even if you only have a PC.
It’s not a perfect replacement by any means, and it seems that Microsoft is willing to lose money if it means potentially getting new subscribers. However, I worry that even if Friends and Family gets rolled out soon, it could get killed fairly quickly if it doesn’t generate enough revenue. It’s no skin off my nose if a gigantic company loses money, but I want Game Pass to continue being a worthwhile service. There’s only so much a company can lose before they start cutting quality-of-life features for its existing users to protect their profit margins. Cutting its $1 introductory offer is a sign that things could continue changing, and I can only hope it’s for the better.