Free Xbox Cloud Gaming With Ads Could Be an Alternative to Pricier Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass will have a new, higher price for the game subscription service starting November 4.
With the announcement that Microsoft’s popular Halo franchise will make the jump to the PlayStation platform for the first time with Halo: Campaign Evolved next year, the company has confirmed that it is testing a free, ad-supported version of its Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is included in the Game Pass service.
A Microsoft official confirmed to the New York Times on Friday that it was conducting internal testing of the ad-supported service. This service would allow access to some games through Xbox Cloud Gaming, although it is unclear how many would be supported.
This confirms a report from The Verge earlier this month, which revealed rumored details about the offering. Microsoft employees tested the service, which allows streaming of select games from a user’s library, as well as Xbox Retro Classic games and Free Play Days titles. During the test, approximately 2 minutes of advertising is shown before a person can stream a game.
According to the report, it is available on PCs, Xbox consoles, handheld devices, and web browsers.
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Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for more details about this ad-supported service.
It’s unclear whether Microsoft will officially include this free service as a free tier in Xbox Game Pass or whether it will roll out when subscription prices increase on November 4. Other video streaming services, such as Netflix, Disney Plus and Hulu, have added a cheaper, ad-supported tier to their membership options in recent years. In May, nearly half of streaming service subscriptions were ad-supported plans.
Microsoft’s Xbox business has been a bit of a struggle for the company this year. Its Xbox Series Xbox Game Pass, usually a bright light among Xbox’s woes, saw so many cancellations after the price increase was announced that it crashed the service’s cancellation page.
According to a Bloomberg report, Microsoft has also made several rounds of layoffs in the Xbox division and canceled gaming projects, such as the Perfect Dark reboot, in an effort to increase its profit margin above the industry average.
