Xbox Game Pass Users Disappointed After Major Feature Is Removed

Xbox Game Pass is getting worse for some subscribers on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC as one of the subscription service's better features is being removed next month. Right now, Xbox Game Pass is available in two forms: a standard form that costs $11 a month and a premium form called Xbox Game Pass Ultimate that runs at $17 a month. For most, these are fair prices, but if you need to buy a few of these subscriptions each month so everyone in your family can game, it can add up quick. This is why Xbox Game Pass has had the Friends and Family Plan, but it's going away. 

The feature has been available in preview form to some subscribers, but this preview is coming to an end on August 15. How do we know this? Because Xbox has been sending emails to those who were participating. Thankfully, this same email notes the feature will return in the future with a global launch, but there's no word of when this will happens. In other words, families will have to continue to pay quite the fee to have more than one subscription to the service. Responding to the news, Xbox fans over on ResetEra have noted the announcement is "disappointing."

"Thank you for participating in the Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family preview program. It has been incredible seeing our Game Pass Ultimate members share the fun of Game Pass with their friends and family," reads the email. "On 15 August 2023, we will be ending the preview as we look to take the learnings from the past several months and investigate building an offer which we can launch worldwide in the future."

As always, we will keep you updated as the situation evolves, but it looks like this could be the end of things for at least a few months, if not much longer. For more coverage on not just Xbox Game Pass but all things Xbox -- including all of the latest news, all of the latest rumors and leaks, and all of the latest deals -- click here.