Microsoft is considering offering an ad-supported Xbox Game Pass subscription with more restrictions. That comes from a survey.
Subscription video games could be funded in part by advertising in the years to come, as analyst Piers Harding-Rolls believes. Appropriately, Microsoft filed a patent a few days agowhich describes the placement of personalized advertising in games.
The fact that the Xbox manufacturer is actually toying with the idea of adding advertising to the Xbox Game Pass makes it clear a survey the Redmonder, in which it is questioned whether players could come to terms with subscription restrictions if it were cheaper than the standard subscription.
Ads and Delayed Access to Games
One option is to delay access to first-party Xbox titles by up to six months. In addition, a reduced tier could deliver integrated advertising as part of the service, which would fit with Microsoft’s recent patent.
A survey is not the same as an announcement. But it is an indication that Microsoft is collecting ideas that can be used to expand the number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers.
The survey presented two hypothetical subscription plans, including a family plan for five users on consoles and PC. With all the previous benefits, this would cost around EUR 22 per month (EUR 264 per year). A $3 tier would give subscribers six-month delayed access to first-party games and would broadcast adverts before the launch of a game from the library.
But why is Microsoft thinking about such a model? Xbox boss Phil Spencer had to admit last October that the demand for the Xbox Game Pass on the consoles was declining.
“I’ve seen growth slow down, mostly because eventually you’ve reached everyone on console who wants a subscription,” so Spencerwho also pointed out that Xbox Game Pass accounts for about “10 to 15 percent of the game’s profits.”
According to previous reports, Xbox Game Pass has 25 million subscribers and the installed Xbox console base is said to be 63 million. According to unconfirmed reports, the combination of Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X accounts for around 20 million consoles. Microsoft does not publish official figures.
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Whether an advertising-based Xbox Game Pass subscription could reach many additional users is questionable. It was only in the course of the past week that the message came out that Netflix’s advertising-financed 5-euro subscription fell short of expectations and that the streaming provider was giving up advertising customers even have to pay back money.
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