Xbox Game Pass survey points to possibility for ‘lite’ ad-sponsored tier
New Xbox Game Pass tiers in the works?
A new survey released by Xbox suggests that the publisher may be entertaining the idea of cheaper ad-based tiers for its wildly successful game streaming subscription service, Xbox Game Pass.
Spotted by eagle-eyed video game fans on Resetera, the survey looks to spark interest in some hypothetical new versions of the subscription service. One example offered is “Xbox Game Pass Lite”, which would offer access to the standard Game Pass library of new and classic games, but would play ads before every game launch and limit access to downloads only (so no streaming).
xbox game pass lite tier survey microsoft
This proposed service would also include multiplayer access with an exemplary price of around five dollars. If such a service existed, it would almost certainly offer more bang for your buck than the standard Xbox Live Gold scheme, and would probably be a successful tier for many Xbox players who haven’t yet jumped on the Game Pass bandwagon. Even having to sit through an ad before playing might not be enough to dissuade players from accessing a library of multiplayer games for a few bucks.
Of course, the advertising angle is the most eyebrow-raising of this whole option. Is watching one ad before playing a game super awful? No, not really, if you have access to a lot of great games for a small fee. But it’s the thin end of the wedge that’s troubling. Ideas like in-game advertising often blow their minds, usually understandably squelched by irritated players, but these ideas always come back and slowly chip away at the player base until they become mainstream without people even realizing it.
Regardless, this whole “Xbox Game Pass Lite level” thing hasn’t even been confirmed – the publisher is clearly gathering feedback before making any decisions on whether to add new options to its streaming service. There are positives and negatives to this hypothetical situation. For now, though, we’ll have to wait and see what 2023 brings for the increasingly common medium of subscription services.
