Rumour: Day One Releases Delayed On A 'Case-By-Case Basis' For Xbox Game Pass Standard Tier

Why is this information coming from rumors and not Microsoft? How is the communication this bad?

It is and will be a mess. I have unsubscribed from Ultimate. Since I bought my first Xbox system 3 years ago I bought nearly 200 games (50/50 physical and digital) so now I will start playing those more often

Other companies don't even manage this mess when they try to have messy communication on purpose. It's fascinating how Microsoft doesn't get their sh*t together (and at this point I don't expect this to change).

Amazon Fire Cloud integration for Game Pass announce a couple weeks ago. A raise in pricing for said GamePass now announced. Coincidence? I think not.

As long as all games do come eventually to the standard tier. I tend to wait 6 months anyway for day 1 releases, for bugfix updates and such.

So they've created a tier that is COMPLETELY useless 🤔 ...

Presumably they'll wait until sales figures start to flatline. So the quickest way to get games on Game Pass will be to avoid buying them.

How many were using Game Pass Console 'before' they changed the way this tier functions? If you had Game Pass for Console (with Day 1 games), then you'd still need to add Gold which became Game Pass Core to play online. Whilst you may have got BO6, you'd still need Game Pass Core to play everything.

Now they've 'swapped' Day 1 for Game Pass Core. This brings it more inline with Sony's PS+ 'Extra' tier - both cost $14.99 a month, both include the 'Basic tier' (PS+ Essential or GP Core) and offer a range of old and 'newer' titles but no BIG 1st Party releases Day/Date. And now Game Pass Standard also means that every game and mode can be played with a 'single' Subscription.

Of course the vast majority of Console gamers either went for GP Core for online access or Ultimate as it offered a large library of games (inc Day1 releases) and online access, EA Access etc in 'one' Subscription - I doubt many even bothered with Game Pass 'Console' for Day 1 games with or without GPCore so that tier was basically redundant.

PS+ Essential/Core is both $10 a month - although Core is now $75 a year whilst Essential is $80. Extra/Standard offers the same as the basic tier and a large range of games from 6m ago and older titles at $15 so very similar pricing and structure. Its only the Premium/Ultimate tier that 'differs' as Sony offer PS1-PS3 era games whilst MS offer Day 1 releases but is $20 compared to Sony's $18.

I can understand People's annoyance at changing messaging, changing policies and holding what someone said 'years' ago to still be relevant when so many other factors (Global economy, Consumer spending, Staff wages etc) as well as an ever evolving technological landscape, but I always try to look at things from 'beyond' my own personal situation.

I am not happy about having to pay £2 extra a month for Ultimate, but 'ultimately' it still has a LOT of Value to me and I can see why they 'changed' Standard as the Previous option would require you to have BOTH Core and Console Subscriptions to get Day 1 AND Play online. It seems now more inline with Sony's Sub service and Pricing Structure - maybe NOT a Surprise after following Sony to $70 game pricing too...

@armondo36 I'd argue they've created a Tier to rival PS Extra and with the same Cost per month too. Their Standard/Console Game Pass Tier would give you access to ALL the games in Game Pass on Console - inc Day 1, the same as 'Ultimate' - but of course you didn't get 'Gold' (before renamed to Core) or Game Pass for PC, for Cloud or EA Access - therefore I bet no-one really subbed to Console as a LOT of Content in Game Pass requires Gold/Core. It was a obsolete 'tier' - but offered like Game Pass PC (which never requires a sub for playing online and MS can't charge them either) and Cloud for that Platform - all of which are 'combined' in the Ultimate tier.

Now, there is some utility to Game Pass Standard - it does combine Core and like PS+ Extra, offers a large Library of older (6m+) games. Like Extra too, you do not know exactly how long some games will be out for before they come to Extra, it seems a Case by Case basis there too. but its just a single Sub per month and ALL content is accessible - inc Online Content.

If they added BO6 to Game Pass Console (before this change) you'd still need to Subscribe to Core as well to play MP/Zombies - otherwise all you'd get was whatever 'offline' content was available. Now if they add 'MW3' as an 'older' game to Game Pass Standard for example, you can play everything with a single Sub.

“This ain't it, chief” - Every non-hardcore xbox user right now

@BAMozzy, but nothing of that is news. Microsoft knew that when they introduced the core tier. It just shows how clueless they act, not being able to think a step ahead and only doing what seems ok in the very moment. It seems like it makes zero sense to keep up with the news, because soon it will change again anyway.

So if you bought a Key for 12 months of Ultimate now, would that mean you could avoid the price increases for a 12 month?

@tho_mi And the world is changing too - what may have been 'right' 8yrs ago when GP started may not be right today and as its a 'service', its likely to 'evolve' as well. Netflix isn't the same as it was 5yrs ago and has 'changed' its service plans, pricing etc too.

Neither Standard or Ultimate are required at all, both are purely optional and if you don't Subscribe, its not as if you can't play games like BO6 or Fable or Indiana Jones the day they release.

If the Service (whatever 'tier') or its 'Price' is no longer worth it to 'you' as its going to be different for everyone, then cancel. The games will still release day 1, only you'll need to buy first to play. Its not as if those 'Day 1' releases are 'ONLY' available through Game Pass Ultimate nd unless you pay for that 'tier', you can't play those games.

Who'd have thought 5yrs ago, you'd have a Gaming 'PC' in a Handheld Format but we do for around the same cost as a Premium Console. Who'd have thought MS would now own Zenimax & ABK, own all those IP's and have 'more' games now coming to Game Pass Day 1.

Just a few years ago, people were talking about a 'lack' of Games in Game Pass with just Pentiment and Grounded (plus Deathloop) in 2022. So now they have a lot more Studios, a LOT more games coming in a year, things have 'Changed' and no doubt will Change as ABK become more 'productive' for Xbox

@Scrubchub Yes, we believe so. If you extend your sub before September 12th, you shouldn't have to pay more until it expires.

Every time they say "case by case basis" which is more often than not these days, that's exec talk for.. "We ain't got a f***ing clue what we're doing".

These days Xbox has less direction than a blind man in a hall of mirrors. And it's not a good look.

@BAMozzy If I was guessing I'd say that most people that have Game Pass Console probably don't play online so likely aren't too fussed about the online element, and possibly CoD too. Otherwise they would have just signed up to ultimate rather than having to pay for two different services.

@BAMozzy, sorry, but that's just a bad excuse. Of course the world is changing and yet many companies manage to be consistent. How is it that Nintendo and Sony don't have these issues? Microsoft is among the biggest companies in the world, much bigger than Nintendo and Sony. And yet it seems they are led by a lot of less than capable people who change their minds on a regular basis. The very fact that they keep saying "case by case basis" underlines that basically everything can happen. In other words, as a consumer it is simply not clear what you are buying into.

Besides, the Core tier was introduced less than a year ago, nothing substantial has changed in the meantime. Yes, the ABK acquisition is through, but that was to be expected a year ago as well. But I don't see how that affects the question marks around standard and core anyway.

@armondo36 A very old marketing trick : 3 prices (lower, middle, higher) but only the higher seems the best bargain

6-12 months!? I was expecting just a month, I thought that was relatively fair. Apparently it was too fair for them.

@Kevw2006 I doubt they bothered at all on Console as that would likely limit the range of games they can play - even some Day 1 games required Game Pass Core to play. I'd bet the vast majority (if not all) Game Pass subscribers on Console either had Core (for gaming online) or Ultimate for Games (inc EA Access) and a single monthly Sub.

@tho_mi and yet Sony's PS+ Extra tier or PC release Policy is on a 'Case by Case' basis. Sony have evolved their Sub services too Starting with PSNow and adding PS+ for PS4, merging them together now for PS+ with games coming to 'Extra' on a case by case basis - maybe 6m, maybe 1 or 2 yrs later, same as when they 'choose' to bring games to PC

Core hasn't really changed - but Gold needed to change as people weren't happy with the games with gold. People weren't subscribing to Game Pass for Console either and now its the 'same' situation as PS+ Extra on PS5 - you never know when 'new' releases will be available on their $15 a month tier, just like MS - however you'll complain about MS doing the same in order to make that tier potentially more appealing if its 'failing' to get the audience.

Its now 'simple' Core gives around 30ish games you can play but its mostly for 'online' access. Standard offers all the same as the Core tier, but now have a much larger library to play. Ultimate offers all the benefits of Standard + Day 1, Game Pass PC/Cloud and EA access.

No-one knows when Sony will 'choose' to bring their games to PC or to PS+ Extra - could be 6months, could be a year - yet if MS don't stipulate exactly what games in the next 20yrs will come and when, they are the bad guys. Same with 'Price' increases despite it being much cheaper than the market leader (Sony).

Again though, if you can't handle that, you do have a choice not to Subscribe at all - All the games will still be available to buy if you want, maybe will be on sale too by the time they come to 'Standard'...

Live service games apart from COD will really need to be day one on the tier for the player base but single player will no doubt be at the 12 month term such as Indiana Jones.

The last few months have been thoroughly bewildering for Xbox fans. It doesn't necessarily come as a surprise that Microsoft are tweaking products and prices but the way in which they are going about it all is really poor form from a huge company. I think this is the new standard sadly, customer service and retention has gone out the window in recent decades as these capitalist behemoths realize they can essentially do as they please.

I'll continue to subscribe (PC Gamepass - I wish Ultimate was less costly as I still enjoy my Series X regularly) every once in a while when there are a few games I want to play but my particular thinking is that if there are games over 20/30 hours in length then I'll likely wait for a sale so I don't need to be subscribed for many months consecutively.

Us frustrated gamers out there need to take a stand but it's a double etched sword. Our dislike of Microsoft's practices vs enjoying Xbox and it's offerings. That's where we're at with pretty much every business nowadays.

Hmmm wonder how it works for early access purchases and having the standard edition of GP?

I know this was just a rumour but so was xbox games coming to other platforms at one point. I have no confidence in this platform and feel like they could pull a Sega at any moment and leave hardware for good.

I don't understand why they keep doing this. Why do they drip information and let the rumour mongers fill in their own Blanks?

Whoever thought it was a good idea to annouce GP standard dropping day 1s and not elaborating further needs to be booted.
I'll
It would be nice a Xbox owner to not have MS stepping on a rake every 3 weeks

@abe_hikura They do it this way because the news is terrible. They can sit back and let every awful rumor run wild. Then when some confirmation comes in a couple weeks, people will be relieved to have more information, no matter how much worse it actually is. This is the exact playbook that was used for the multiplatform announcements too.

Also, anyone else find it funny that Jez is running defense on Twitter saying it isn't so bad, but also admitting that he doesn't actually know what the plan is?

these tiers are worded horribly and are confusing!

They should be:
Core: online play only (which sucks for having to pay for the game, for the console, for the TV, for my Internet service)

Standard Console: online with all games
Standard PC: online with all games

Standard mobile: use fire stick, zune, crapple, phones, tablets for streaming games only

Ultimate: everything above

Xbox. Pay now, find out what for later. **

Subject to change. Terms and conditions apply.

That's the whole problem with xbox as a product and a brand right now. Nobody can tell you what you're actually buying and why you should buy it, because even MS doesn't know, and they refuse to commit to anything, preferring to define it as a vague undefined product that will never have a permanent shape, instead redefining it's shape to fit the moment continuously.

If Xbox was an Ebay listing it would be a blurry picture of a controller where you can't quite make out how many buttons it has. This seller does not accept returns.

For a service-based product to be successful, the consumer needs to have a solid idea of what the service provides and reasonable confidence it will continue to provide it and a reasonable expectation it will continue to carry roughly the same costs and value over the long duration.

Throwing your weight around and exploiting customers is what you do when you control the market and know your customers don't have much alternative. It's not what you do when you're publicly stating you're stagnating and missing all your targets.

This isn't Microsoft adjusting for Xbox's needs. This is Microsoft corporate leadership having no understanding of subscriptions and services beyond Office 365 where everybody must buy it and nobody has a choice.

This is the same company that keeps trying to make operating systems a monthly subscription.

@Spider-Kev It's simpler than that and includes old products. It's:
Core: Hostage ransom to play online with a slick new name.

Standard: The Decoy.

Ultimate: Game Pass plus other garbage nobody asked for for one high price.

PC: The thing we've been calling Game Pass for a decade, only available on platforms we care about.

This just muddies the already poo coloured water.

‘We’re going to introduce a new tier and games won’t come to it day one and we won’t tell you when they will’

Class communication 😂

Rome wasn't built in a day, but it surely burnt down in less than a week. Yeah, that seems about right.

Remember when Microsoft said game pass was the greatest thing ever in the universe and even more so than sliced bread, cause would able play first party games day one?

I remember that.

@Xbox_Dashboard You're most likely correct. But Microsoft fails to see if it's too expensive and not worth the money, no one will get it anyway. So in reality there is no gain.

I can even argue it a loss, overall.

@armondo36 Just as useless as all the leadership at Microsoft.

@BAMozzy If Sony jumped off a bridge, should Microsoft jump also?

@NEStalgia Heck we used to never know when a game was even coming out. Coming 2023. No wait. We got delay it for 6 months. Oh wait, our bad, another 6 months now. Oh heck nevermind, it's never coming out.

Definitely agree on they trying make operating systems subscription based. The moment they announced Office was going to be subscription based and only way to get Office updates was to stay subscribed. Right then I knew Microsoft going to be a disaster.

Will say time and time again, Nadella is a severe hindrance and burden to Microsoft.

@themightyant this is the best reply to anything ever.

Why is this sourced from an "insider" and not just MS's own article about this:

Q: "Will all console games added to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate library also be available with Xbox Game Pass Standard?"

A: "Some games available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on day one will not be immediately available with Xbox Game Pass Standard and may be added to the library at a future date. This could be up to 12 months or more and will vary by title."

So nothing new here from Jez as usual

Boy this is a complete sh#t show

@GuyinPA75 Nope - but that's just being 'pedantic' and the reality is that circumstances and situations change. I amn ot saying they are 'copying' Sony exactly but that there are Parallels that no-one ever brings up when Sony do the 'SAME' thing.

I've never had Sony fans demand to know what games will come to Extra and exactly when? How long after Launch? When will they come to PC etc etc - its a Case by Case basis depending on many factors that are completely unknown at the time. I don't know how many times Netflix has changed over the years - both in terms of tier structure and Pricing.

The point I was trying to make is that Game Pass Console at $15 is the Same type of Service with the SAME unknowns and Pricing, yet no-one is having a go at Sony for their 'extra' tier not telling you when Wolverine will come to that service, how many 'months' or years they have to wait.

People obviously weren't buying Game Pass Console - perhaps because it also required Game Pass Core to make the most of it. Now it comes with Game Pass Core, but no longer gets Day 1 - so that 'tier' has a lot more utility. Game Pass Ultimate hasn't 'changed' and if you subbed to GPU before, other than a price increase, nothing has changed. Same with GPC so you are 'complaining' that a service tier no-one used has been 'tweaked' to the same thing that WORKS on PS, yet somehow that is Wrong....

Again an 'optional' tier that you do NOT need/require. Its not going to stop you from being able to play Day 1 releases on Xbox if you don't Subscribe, just like it doesn't on Sony's hardware either - those games will still be Sold. If you 'choose' to have an extended Library of games you can play 'whilst' subscribed, for $15 a month, PS+ Extra/Game Pass both offer games that are 6m+ old and ONLY Game Pass Ultimate tier on Console gets you Day1 games as a 'Premium' tier Subscription package.

Its more about ditching the stuff that 'isn't' working and finding something that does - and its working for Sony - Sony had to change up PSNow as that wasn't working for them too but if Sony do something its OK, but if MS do anything, its always wrong/bad despite it being the 'same' as the Market Leader - Sony.

When Sony shifted top $70, it was defended as 'Sony' are infallible but as the rest of the industry eventually felt they had to (or could) raise prices too, that was Wrong. Sony get their 'PS+' tiers and no-one questions when their games will be on their service - its a case by case basis, and now MS has a similar 'mid' tier offering, essentially dropping Day 1 in favour of Game Pass Core to be 'more' attractive to some consumers and much easier than needing Game Pass Console and Game Pass Core to get the same as Ultimate (albeit without EA Access and PC/Cloud Game Pass), somehow that's now Wrong/worse...

It's more the hypocrisy. If its 'OK' and 'Works', why not 'borrow/copy'. Sony certainly have in the past with built in Hard-drives after MS put one in the OG Xbox - at the time everyone whinged about that too - how big and heavy the console was etc, but its now 'Standard' for any Console! Things evolve and change - otherwise we'd all have to buy Storage cards for game saves for example.

@NEStalgia i have a choice and i have given my money to the fruit company. They don’t act like this. They have some of the best marketing teams and leadership in the world. I am not the biggest Gamepass person. But this goes beyond GP, this is Xbox and MS as a whole not delivering messaging and branding to products. Google used to do this, make new apps and stuff, throw it out to the public and then kill it 6-12 months later. Apple flat out does not operate that way. The CEO of MS and many others should be fired. This won’t cut it. VPN and Windows 11 issues. I mean they have no products right now hitting on all cylinders. Tho i was in a Best Buy 2 days ago and looked at the new Surface laptop and it was a nice built product. Since when did MS make better hardware than software? Plus who is leading the surface team? Whoever it is they need a shoutout as the only leader in MS doing something decent. I am stuck with Xbox. I still dislike the crap out of PS controllers. But man the future of Xbox sure seems more and more iffy if they can’t tell us what the plan and product even is. Should be called the Chameleon X/S cause it changes by the minute.

@GuyinPA75 Absolutely, Nadella has been a disaster. Gates was bad. Ballmer seemed worse. Nadella has been a disaster. Yes, Wall street loves him. Financial mags love him. Investors love him. But he's trading the company's stability for short term investor love. And worse, he's a compulsive liar. I comes naturally to him. It's always been his MO to say things that sound good, and come across 100% genuine and sincere, then do the exact opposite moments later. Were he not a corporate finance guy he'd probably be behind bars.

@BAMozzy “I’ve never had Sony fans demand to know when games will come to extra and when?” Maybe because Sony have never once claimed that all first party games will hit PS plus or ever used the words “case by case”. Each month they release a list of games coming to the service and leaving the service and it’s as simple as that, no promises made…..MS have, for years said “all first party games will come to gamepass day one” They are now simply trying to find ways to back out of that promise because it’s proving too costly and your eating it up like Christmas has come early. If you’re going to argue a point at least ground it in facts rather than blind loyalty to Microsoft.

@HonestHick MS has always made better hardware than software. It's weird. They're a software company but their software is terrible. They actually make fantastic hardware and always have, but nobody ever buys it because they have no marketing talent. I can't think of any generation of MS hardware going back to the 90's and the original scroll wheel, a Microsoft creation, and those indestructible mice, that was anything short of excellent. But it was accompanied by Windows 95.....

The only thing you can count on with MS is whenever they have a great thing going, which is often, they'll destroy it as fast as possible.

@BAMozzy

Simple answer.

Sony DO NOT have day 1 games as it’s unique selling point. Hence no questions on when it will come.

Ms has day 1 games as it’s unique selling point.

Well maybe it does. Maybe it doesn’t. MS released new tiers. Announced price changes etc…. Without exactly saying what you will get for your money.

Sony also weren’t the first to raise to $70. MS didn’t have to follow either. But if you want to keep peddling false information as you did in another thread. Go for it.

Phil, if you’re reading this….just make it clear all very clear and no one will be upset.

@NEStalgia "The only thing you can count on with MS is whenever they have a great thing going, which is often, they'll destroy it as fast as possible."

You're so right.

In april, I sold my vanilla Steam Deck and bought an Ally to have all major launchers available - yes including Epic (to play Alan Wake II on handheld, lol). And until then, I was not aware of the great idea that it is (was?) the "Play Anywhere" feature. Buy one license, and play it on Xbox and PC. In fact, when I booted up the Xbox app, I found out that many games I have bought on Xbox were ready to play on the Ally. And FWIW, most XGS games run great on the Ally (Pentiment, Hi Fi Rush, Psychonauts 2, Hellblade II, etc.).

But between the major publishers who don't play ball with the "Play Anywhere" program and the general lack of popularity of the Xbox brand, they had a great idea which lacks support to "get it there" and now it seems half-baked.

All this Game Pass tiers debacle is a pity, because this gen I was really excited with Team Green. Great features, great games (at least to me - even if some of them were already made by the studios they bought, like the aforementioned Psychonauts 2) and a great sub service (at least, the best of those I have tried, including Nintendo's and Sony's).

I mean, the GP service is still worth to me, mostly because I like the games included so far, I like to try indies and stuff, and I mostly like the XGS output. And yeah, the rewards, even if not that great as they once were, are nice, because I can win them by playing games I like.

But, all in all, I can't shake a certain feeling of unfairness. Because MS, in order to chase the "let's grow subs numbers (by rising prices, lol)" dragon, they have to squeeze more money from their users.

A pity, as I said, because they had everything to be a great platform - except for the right management.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Ironically it was......Activision.....that was the first to raise to $70. Followed by 2K. But it was Sony that normalized it.

What really irritates me is MS's constant changing positions. They took a public stance that they believed in the $60 game. People believed that strategy. Then when they actually released games they switched to $70. And oh what a game to do it on.

@HarmanSmith Absolutely agree all around. And yeah, actually the Windows Store as a whole is just dreadful. Play Anywhere could have been the killer feature, but it's so barren. Most publishers games don't support it. Some, like Square seem to randomly have some games (DQXI, Octopath, Balan (lol)) that support it, and others (anything FF) that don't. And many publishers/major games (Bamco/From/Elden Ring) that don't exist on the Windows store even to buy Windows only games. The whole thing feels incomplete. I ended up buying a few MS games on Steam for my Ally/Legion because of that mess....it's a pity.

It really was set up to be a great platform, but took so many wrong turns at so many key points. Though, to be fair to Xbox management, I think things really started going wrong when MS corporate decided what they really wanted was mobile. For a critical year of the Series X they focused on nothing but cloud to try to get GP into mobile hands to get part of mobile gaming instead of on the console. And then few the two years after that they focused on nothing but ABK to get King instead of the console. Then this year they remembered the console exists and seem to be bent on exploiting console customers to pay for the transition to mobile.

@BAMozzy There's a big difference. Sony NEVER sold any version of PS+ with Day one new games and for Xbox it was Gamepass' main selling point.

However, I did say years ago when Gamepass first came out that most of the reason the brand new releases were included was because hardly anyone were buying the few 1st party releases Xbox put out anyway. Now that they bought their way into owning some relevant IP they are missing out on sales and need to recoup some of those losses.

@NEStalgia thing that gets me is Sony have stumbled so much this gen.

Like you said £70 games, increase in their PS subs, this switch to live service/low game output. Increasing console prices.

Yet MS still hasn’t taken any advantage of this. They have just followed suit (outside of live service). They could have had so much goodwill, with a cheaper console and cheaper games.

But they can’t even get the ‘bad’ news out right, it’s always drawn out with rumours swirling. It’s 2 days since price rise and still they haven’t clarified anything, yet they must know what’s being said on gaming sites/media. Why let the flames fan?

At least Sony just come out with it and say prices are going up. This is our sun service or whatever. And that’s that. No messing.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner That's exactly it! Sony basically went full PS3 launch this gen. MS could have swooped in and played "good cop" and taken the whole bag. And instead they went random other directions chasing bigger markets and let Sony have the whole pot without even trying. If they just dug in and said "$60 games, GP day 1, no price increases on subs till next gen" and they would have owned this generation. It's just bewildering watching how they took their almost 1:1 vs PS Series launch and just ignored it to go chase mobile during the key growth years. The moment the console was out of the gate they just pivoted to 100% cloud for mobile, then pivoted right from that to ABK. And now they have ABK and have no idea what they actually want.

I now believe their delays in clarifications are because they're letting the internet design their policy. They don't know what to do or what the product is so they'll watch the rumors and comments and craft the policy based on that.

We're probably 2 years out from new hardware, and we're still waiting for launch year to complete for Xbox, meanwhile Sony basically just gave up and sells accessories for their Fortnite box, and somehow MS messed up so bad that actually looks like the good platform.

I kind of feel like even before ABK, MS wasn't really happy with the consoles. Phil told Nadella they have to go 100% into it if they should keep xbox (console) - but it seems like we went through the refresh/pro of X1, and then the Series just kind of limped out with no real direction for it planned, and the corporate strategy just wanted to find a way to make "real" money from gaming, and not the piddly revenue that console gaming generates (and I don't even mean Sony's share, because we now know Sony doesn't really make much money on gaming either at their high costs and low margins.)

You KNOW Gaming's all effed up when Nvidia's Kilobuck video cards start looking like the smart buy.

@NEStalgia where is Phil these days? He’s done what one interview in the last few months? The one around the state of play. He’s normally very vocal, it’s like he’s being pushed behind the scenes.

They are totally lost on strategy at the minute, just hoping something will stick. Of course we are never going to be told everything but some communication on goals, growth business plans are helpful (as most companies announce) rather than flip flopping and making decisions based on that days weather.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Oh yeah, is been clear for a while that Phil isn't in control anymore, he's just a mouthpiece. He did really really good in that one interview and even had me convinced maybe he was back in control, but, then this what went right back on what he said. He's definitely not in control. And you can see the same exact kind of response from Bond that the AI engineers had when grilled by press over Recall. These uncomfortable scripted replies all have the same authors regardless of department.

If Phil were onboard all this he'd be the first out front defending it.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner We changed our mind and we're still right.
-America

Literally the entire appeal of Gamepass removed.

MS seems hellbent on destroying everything good that they spent years building upon.

@AccessibleDaydream Why? Because Ytbers and "insiders" leak everything they can (or fabricate info) for clicks (profit). MS/Xbox has been carrying the games media or streamer news for years now. Sony and Nintendo provide little and Xbox garners stronger response, even if the news bits were 1:1. This article has links to 3 other articles about the same thing on this very site.

Here is the actual US Game Pass site (just Core and Ultimate offered):
https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-game-pass?xr=shellnav

@dreadful What?!? "Literally?" Not even close.

Like I mentioned yesterday I’ve left my series x as my main console and switched over to my PS5 for now and future eco system and third party titles so PlayStation now has me as my main console and makes the 30% on third party titles.

Sony didn’t have to do nothing just sit back and watch Microsoft slowly destroy their own product called Xbox.

And so what if they do this! People need to get over the entitlement of cheap games that are nearly free on subsidized gamepass. All while expecting more and more! Subsidized gamepass is still the best deal in gaming if one is okay with not owning and being beholden to digital only. One can always pay full price for a new game that they desire outright like I do. This modern generation of gamers has gotten really spoiled. As when I was younger and could get a job, I had to work for additional PS3 and Xbox 360 games outside of the ones my parents got. And one was content with what they had as massive choice can warp ones perspective. This is just a vanity problem for this hobby.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner
The USA not sure what they want lately with something in the water over there.

You only have to look at Ford they have made some crazy decisions of late and have lost the UK and European market by millions.
They used to be such an amazing USA company and my go to car.

The USA business wise in many businesses has lots it way in UK and whole of Europe when it comes to major products.

They have lost direction on what UK Europe markets actually want and have been trying to sell us what they want to sell us and it is back firing massively and USA physical product awareness and sales are at an all time low in UK Europe.

The Japanese and Germany are making massive roads leaving USA physical products behind.
Cars and game market are just two massive indicators.

It’s a shame as some USA products used to be top class like Ford cars and Xbox.

@OldGamer999 "Ford used to be amazing" yeah, back when the Atari was new. Went to pot in the 80s when the whole government designed Euro compact plastic car craze happened and the steel boats died. Same with gm. Japanese companies have ruled ever since. Didn't know the UK didn't get that memo like 35 years ago 😂

Problem with us companies is somewhere along the line "new" business thinking from the MBAs took over and three companies are run by activist investors and wall street maneuvering. Its not about the products anymore it's about the quarter. It's about liquidating every asset they have for instant return and acquiring new assets to liquidate. It's not symbiotic with consumers now but parasitic.

@Vaako007 " People need to get over the entitlement of cheap games that are nearly free on subsidized gamepass"

People are "entitled" to it because Microsoft told them that's why they should choose their console from the start, then changes it constantly. If a hotel advertises included breakfast and then you find out it's been downgraded to a Pop Tart on your pillow, then includes a surcharge for it, you may not trust that hotel again.

@NEStalgia
It’s takes a while for the UK and Europe to get the message and actually see the changes of product etc.
I was disappointed in Ford when I went to buy a brand new car for March 2024 when they only sold the newish Focus with a 1.0 litre engine at 125 bhp and took away the best button and knobs climate control for screen based touch controls, so they lost my years of loyalty and money and I bought a brand new Honda Civic Sport and traded in my Ford focus 1.5 185bhp st line x, great car by the way.
And Microsoft are doing the same but in a different way, and giving mixed messages with no real future guarantee of what is really going on.

Don’t get wrong the USA have some amazing companies and are a massive industrial infrastructure, where I work the USA are our single biggest customer, military but not weapons.

Aside from the terrible
Communication, it’s also worth noting that Whilst a cheaper gamepass might be tempting, the issue is that 12 months later you would be able to buy the game for a much lower price in the sales. I guess this is to try and encourage people to play a few pounds more for the Ultimate package, but it’s actually really off putting for me, as someone who wouldn’t pay £15 a month for ultimate.

God, how annoying.

Welp. Back to just buying my game then, I guess. At least you know when you’re able to play something.

The most annoying part to me is that I’ll be missing out on playing games via xcloud.

if you're still paying for Game Pass instead of topping it up with reward points for free, more fool you

@CERBERUS40000 it’s not free.

Anything you have to get beyond what you are naturally getting by playing the game has a time cost.

In the UK I can guarantee that it costs far more in time that what it does to earn that £12. Of course you have to be in a job that does overtime or whatever.

But still MS has th best reward program, and I’ve got 100k ish saved up. But it’s just now far less rewarding.

I really don't see what the issue is - And NO I'm not being a MS shill. Yes I know they said that EVERY game would come to Game Pass Day/date years ago and reiterated it over the years - but now have decided to 'change'. Netflix once said no adverts too but then introduced Packages with Ads - things change!!!

It's clear that Day 1 wasn't working for their 'Game Pass Console' tier. That tier still required Gold (which became Game Pass Core) and then didn't include the 'benefits' of the lowest tier. People on Console were either Subbing to Gold/Core OR Ultimate - neither of which are changing. Game Pass Core, when introduced a year ago was a 'Game Pass' Subscription too that didn't offer Day 1 but no-one complained about that...

As no one was really subbing to Game Pass Console, they had to make it more appealing and fit in 'better' into their Game Pass Tier system. By including the 'benefits' of the Basic Tier, MS has chosen to replace it with Day 1 - so maybe Core subscribers will be 'tempted' to increase to Standard without needing to take out 2 Subs (like they had to with the previous system) to play online.

Game Pass Core - Online Access and around 30 games to play
Game Pass Standard - GPC + a large Library (like PS+ Extra)
GP Ultimate - GP Standard + PC & Cloud, Day 1 releases & EA Access

No I'm not thrilled at a £2 a month Price Hike for GPU, but I am not angry at them changing a 'tier' that literally no one is impacted by. Those on 'Game Pass' Core never got Day 1, only those on Ultimate as no-one was subbing just to Game Pass Console (and Gold/Game Pass Core). I bet the majority of 'armchair' warriors didn't even know there was a 'Console' tier - it was either Core (without Day 1) or Ultimate (with Day 1)...

@BAMozzy the difference is probably because Sony never said all games day one, MS did and now it’s a confusing mess.

@NEStalgia this is true. For my work PC i was a Surface Keyboard and Surface mouse and really like them. They are great. You know i love the Xbox Controller. But man the software is lacking.

I have no issue with any of it. Game subscription services are relatively new. Adjustments will be made based on the market and the overall success of such services. To not expect such services to be fluid and change over time, as needed…well, it’s about as unrealistic a stance as one could possibly have. It’s utterly ridiculous to think a service has to remain a certain way forever because it was that way initially. That’s not how the real world works and what we have seen with tv/movie sub services and the changes that have taken place on that side of the market proves that unequivocally.

This will likely make Game Pass more successful and more competitive over the long haul. That makes it a very good thing in my book. I have been saying for awhile that they need to adjust the day 1 situation. And since I rarely ever play games day 1, even if they come to Game Pass day 1, I for one am totally fine with it.

@datamonkey Was it confusing when 'Gold' became Game Pass Core a year ago? NO!!!

Did it having the Game Pass in it mean that Core Subscribers expect Day 1? NO

Did Console gamers subscribe to Game Pass Console with Day 1 - NO (because it needed Game Pass Core as well for online causing more Confusion!!!)

So Console gamers either Subbed to Game Pass Core (no Day 1) or Game Pass Ultimate to get Day 1 games and Online access in one convenient package - they didn't sub to Game Pass Console (for Day) AND Game Pass Core for Online

NOW its much simpler

Tier 1 - Game Pass Core - Online Access and 30ish Games
Tier 2 - Game Pass Standard - Tier 1 + 100's of Games
Tier 3 - Game Pass Ultimate - Tier 2 + Day 1, Game Pass for PC and Cloud, EA Access and perks.

Compared to
Tier 1 - online access
tier 2 - Day 1 games and 100's of titles to play - but NO tier 1 online access so tier 1 and tier 2 required to play games like BO6 or Forza online
Tier 3 - everything....

Nothing has CHANGED! (apart from pricing) for 99.999% of Console gamers as they either Subbed to Core or Ultimate - they never Subbed to 'Console' and the ONLY tier that has effectively changed for Console gamers is that 'Console' tier (now Standard) and instead of requiring Core to play every game in Game Pass, now they've switched out Day 1 and replaced it with Core so its a single payment enabling gamers to play EVERY game offered in that tier.

Its more like they have 'expanded' on their Game Pass Core which never included Day 1 (NO armchair warriors were 'Angry' that MS said Game Pass will have Day 1 when that changed) to include a much larger Library of games and create a 'new' tier for Console owners that maybe a LOT more appealing than 'Game Pass Console' when half the games in it were behind another Sub Pay Wall (Gold then Game Pass Core)

Its what I like to call fake anger just because its 'Microsoft'. If ALL those whingers about this were actually Subscribers of Game Pass Console, then maybe I'd understand it. If Sony adds any game Day 1, would you be Angry after Sony has stated many times its NOT Sustainable so they won't do it? Things CHANGE!!!

Xbox, keeps changing the rules...

@BAMozzy It's not confusing to us in the know but it still is worrying more will be changed on a whim and/or prices will rise again. After they just did for inflation. Now this is the COD tax. What will happen next year the Perfect Dark, Fable or Gears of War tax? The problem is Microsoft clear lack of good communication, it always has been and seems like they will continue tradition. I'm not here nor happy to continue to reward them with $3 increase a month personally to see them continuing to muddy the waters. But that's my own personal opinion. I'll still game on Xbox, buy disc games and digital sales. Though I'm done just forking over the money for Ultimate. I'll wait for reviews and sales.

@kuu_nousee I think the previous set up was more confusing. Game Pass Core (doesn't offer day 1 yet has Game Pass in the name), Game Pass Console (has the full library of Game Pass games inc Day 1, but many can't be played without Game Pass Core), Game Pass Ultimate (Combines everything in one). So that 'mid-tier' Console & a Gold (later GPC) subscription was 'as expensive' as Ultimate yet Ultimate offered EA Access, GP Cloud/PC and Perks.

Because no-one subbed to Console and the fact that it was more 'confusing' - a mid tier Sub package that doesn't offer Online access that the basic package does, so is ALSO required is more confusing for anyone. Now it's much simpler and more in line with every other Sub package. You expect to get 'more', the more you pay, not lose something from the 'basic' tier that's essential in higher tiers. You couldn't play 'everything' in Forza or BO6 with just Console tier, you'd have to get Game Pass Core as well - 2 subscriptions to play the Games in 'Game Pass'

So now its Tier 1 (Basic), Tier 2 (Basic + extras) and Tier 3 (Tier 2 + extras) - all just a single monthly payment.

NO-ONE likes Rising Costs and Price increases. That being said, the price structure itself is comparable to their Competition - Sony. Sony were one of the first to do $70 games, now its 'industry standard' whether we like it or not.

PS+/GPC - Officially $10 a month (Online + 24-36ish games)
Extra/Standard - Officially $15 a month (large library/no Day 1)
Premium/Ultimate - $18/$20 (MS a bit more here but do get Day1, play on PC/Cloud etc)

Sony's PS+ and now Game Pass are similarly priced. Xbox was 'cheaper', just like they were at the start of the Gen when 'some' publishers opted to increase prices to $70, now it's 'standard'.

I'm NOT justifying the Price increase, just trying to point out that its been brought up to the 'industry' Market Leaders pricing. Just like I won't pay $70 for Games Day 1, no game is worth that to me, people will have to make up their own mind whether GP is 'worth it' to them now - but the 'tier' structure makes more sense than 'upgrading' to higher mid-tier, but then losing 'online access' from the basic tier and having Game Pass Core didn't grant 'Day 1' despite having 'Game Pass' and people understood that straight away...