Xbox Game Pass Reportedly Exploring Free Tier That Requires You to Watch Ads to Play Games

Microsoft has been looking at different ways to expand Xbox Game Pass, and it seems the company might be considering a "free" option to do just that. It wouldn't be totally free, of course. Instead, users would be required to watch ads in exchange for streaming a game for a certain amount of time. Xbox CFO Tim Stuart brought up that possibility while speaking at the Wells Fargo TMT Summit. It should be noted that Stuart strictly brought up the possibility for territories that have high mobile usage but low access to consoles. 

"For models like Africa, or India, Southeast Asia, maybe places that aren't console-first, you can say, 'hey, do you want to watch 30 seconds of an ad and then get two hours of game streaming?'," Stuart said at the summit. "Africa is, you know, 50% of the population is 23 years old or younger with a growing disposable income base, all with cell phones and mobile devices, not a lot of high-end disposable income, generally-speaking. So we can go in with our own business models and say — there's millions of gamers we would never have been able to address, and now we can go in with our business models."

Expanding to New Locations

Stuart's speech at the Wells Fargo TMT Summit also brought up his desire to see Game Pass on Nintendo Switch and PS5, a possibility that Xbox boss Phil Spencer later walked back. As such, readers should not assume that this "free tier" of Game Pass is anything more than a future possibility. That said, Microsoft is not the only gaming company looking at ways to expand into areas with less access to consoles; Nintendo has looked at films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie as a way to grow the audience for its IPs in similar areas. Clearly companies like Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony are looking at creative ways to expand their global audience! 

The Growth of Game Pass

Over the last few years, Game Pass has become the most important part of Xbox's overall strategy. The subscription service offers access to more than 100 games, including all first-party titles, like Starfield, Hi-Fi Rush, and Forza Motorsport. We've also seen Game Pass as a driver for Xbox Series S sales, with the disc-less console offering a cheaper way for newcomers to try the Xbox library. Game Pass as a brand has become so important that Microsoft even rebranded Xbox Live Gold this year as Xbox Game Pass Core, offering subscribers the ability to play online and access to a smaller library. 

It will be interesting to see the various ways Microsoft finds to grow the Game Pass brand in the coming years. Things have changed a lot since the service first started, and it's clear the company isn't done finding ways to appeal to more players. 

Do you think a "free" Game Pass tier is a good idea? Do you think it would help Xbox appeal to more players? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

[H/T: TweakTown, Windows Central]