Earlier this month, Microsoft increased Xbox Game Pass pricing and launched a new “Standard” tier for the game subscription service, but there may be more changes coming to Game Pass. According to reports, the Xbox parent company may be developing more new Game Pass tiers. These may include cloud-only subscription tiers, ad-supported tiers, and friends and family plans.
New Xbox Game Pass tier planned
Citing sources, Windows Central reports that Microsoft has further plans for its gaming subscription service. According to reports, a Game Pass-only version that allows players on devices outside of the Xbox ecosystem to access the catalog of games on the service may be in development. This tier will be cheaper than Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and will also be available on competing console platforms.
Additionally, the report cites “very preliminary” rumors that Microsoft may bring back the Xbox Game Pass Friends and Family program, which was earlier tested in some regions but never launched on a large scale. The plan will cater to multiple users in a household, similar to the family plans of other subscription services.
Finally, the report also talks about an ad-supported Game Pass tier, much like the ad-based tiers of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. This tier will reportedly cater to players who don’t want to pay the Game Pass subscription fee and instead access the ad-based version of the service for free. This was also reported last year, when a publication claimed that Xbox Games CFO Tim Stuart suggested launching a free, ad-supported version of the subscription service.
Recently, Microsoft launched its Xbox cloud gaming service on the Xbox app on Amazon Fire TV Stick. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can now access the platform’s cloud gaming service to play Xbox games on the Amazon Fire TV Stick without the need for a dedicated Xbox console.
Call of Duty on Game Pass
A few weeks ago, Microsoft announced that the next game in its lucrative Call of Duty franchise would be available at the launch of its Xbox gaming subscription service. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is set to release on October 25 and will be the first COD game to be available on Game Pass at launch.
The company is also reportedly planning to add the latest Call of Duty game, last year’s Modern Warfare 3, at the end of July (review). However, Microsoft and Call of Duty maker Activision have yet to confirm any plans to bring the game to the service.