bad news, this exceptional offer ends

PC and Xbox players will wake up to bad news: Game Pass no longer offers its most interesting formula.

Competition is fierce in the world of video games. The major manufacturers and publishers are waging a merciless war. If Nintendo has its place a little apart, it is above all Microsoft and Sony who are in direct confrontation. In the game of exclusives, Sony and PlayStation are particularly convincing. On the other hand, Microsoft and Xbox have a strong argument to attract players. This argument is called the Xbox Game Pass – which also inspired the PS Plus Extra and Premium, and it has something to seduce.

In exchange for a monthly subscription whose price varies according to the chosen offer, it is possible to access hundreds of games, sometimes as soon as they are released. As a result, even an occasional player can quickly make his subscription profitable. But the newbies who want to try out the experience are less fortunate. An exceptional offer has indeed disappeared from circulation, in the greatest of silences.

The end of the welcome offer for new players

The announcement was relayed on the night of March 26 to 27 by several American media. Discreetly, without prior official communication, Microsoft has decided to end a particularly interesting offer for new players. From now on, it is no longer possible to pay only one euro for your first month of subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass! If they were offered between 10 and 13 euros per month, players who subscribed for the first time could previously try the service for next to nothing. It is now ancient history, since the offer has already ended. It was Kari Perez, director of communications at Xbox, who announced it in the columns of The Verge.

We have discontinued our previous introductory offer to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. We are evaluating different marketing offers for new members in the future.
Kari Perez, via The Verge

The Game Pass, a real selling point for Xbox

For many years, Game Pass has been one of the main selling points for Xbox and Microsoft. Offered at €9.99 in its standard version (PC or console) and at €12.99 in its Ultimate version, it is one of the most interesting offers on the market. As a reminder, here is what Game Pass Ultimate offers:

Play hundreds of great games on console, PC and in the cloud
New games added all the time
Xbox Game Studios titles on release day
Discounts and exclusive offers for members
Free perks, including in-game content and partnership offers
Unlock Riot Games Perks
Gold and EA Play subscriptions included

For now, Microsoft has not justified its decision to end the first month to one euro for the Game Pass. Like Netflix, which wants to prevent the sharing of accounts free of charge, it is quite possible that the firm will seek to fight against players who create new accounts to take advantage of the one-euro offer indefinitely. We hope for an official speech soon.