- Kyle Chua
Microsoft Halts $1 Xbox Game Pass Trial Offer As It Considers New Promotions
Microsoft is planning to change how it'll attract gamers to sign up for Xbox Game Pass, the subscription service that grants access to a rotating library of games.
According to The Verge, the software giant has halted the US$1 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass trial offer for newcomers to the service.
"We have stopped our previous introductory offer for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass and are evaluating different marketing promotions for new members in the future," said Kari Perez, Head of Global Communications at Xbox in a statement.
The introductory offer allowed those who haven't signed up for Game Pass yet to try the service for the first month for US$1. And it's only after that first month that they'll be charged the full US$14.99 per month and US$9.99 per month subscription price for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, respectively. The relatively accessible trial price makes it easy to recommend the service to friends or family who want to enjoy the more than 100 games included either on an Xbox console or PC.
Microsoft, however, didn't share any details on what new marketing promotions it'll opt for in place of the US$1 trial offer. The Verge notes the company has been working on its Friends & Family plan for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The plan, as its name suggests, allows subscribers to share their account's benefits with up to four friends or family members. The company has been testing the plan in different markets since last year, including Ireland, where it's priced at around US$24 per month. That comes down to less than US$5 per month if the cost is split among four different users. Testing of the plan has recently been expanded to New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Hungary, Israel, and Sweden recently, but it has yet to be made available in many European markets and the U.S.
The removal of the US$1 trial offer appears to suggest Microsoft is gearing up for a wider launch of the Friends and Family plan. Microsoft's announcement also comes almost exactly a year after PC Game Pass launched in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Microsoft has halted the US$1 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass trial offer for newcomers to the service.
The company added that it's "evaluating different marketing promotions for new members in the future", though it didn't share details about them.
The move does suggest the company is gearing up for a wider launch of the Friends and Family plan, which allows subscribers to share their accounts' benefits with up to four friends or family members.