"Like it or loathe it, we live in a subscription economy. Music, movies, meal boxes, and more are no longer things you buy once. They're a constant draw on your wallet. Gaming is no exception, and while every major player in the sector has some form of sub for players-from PlayStation Plus and Nintendo Switch Online for consoles to Apple Arcade on phones-none of them offered quite as much for a modest monthly fee as Xbox Game Pass."
"Depending on the subscription tier, the service gave players access to a significant library of titles and was available on Xbox consoles, PC, or via cloud gaming. While most of its competitors focused on back-catalog titles for their gaming subscriptions, Game Pass stood apart by including major first-party titles on their day of release for subscribers to its Ultimate tier."
Subscription services have become pervasive across entertainment and retail, and Xbox Game Pass historically offered exceptional value by bundling a large game library and day-one first-party releases for Ultimate subscribers. Microsoft revamped Game Pass on October 1, renaming tiers (Core to Essential, Standard to Premium) while keeping Ultimate and making all tiers available on PC alongside a dedicated PC-only plan. Significant monthly price increases in the United States, reaching up to 50 percent on some tiers, triggered strong subscriber backlash and mass cancellations that temporarily crashed the membership site. Subscribers are advised to verify their current tier and assess whether the subscription still fits their needs.
Read at WIRED
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