Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers on both PC and console are outraged by the sudden new change to the subscription service, with the password-sharing system set to launch soon.

The change is relatively minor, and there is no indication that it is permanent. But it has raised the ire of some subscribers who have had little to complain about since the subscription service launch. What’s the problem? Well, Xbox has stopped communicating about new games. So far this year, they’ve added one or two games. However, these were “stealth” titles. Typically, Xbox makes an Xbox Game Pass announcement every two weeks. Each time it tells you that new games are coming to the subscription service that month. In recent weeks, that’s been discontinued. Many have speculated that this may have been due to the holiday season. Although this is a reasonable conclusion, there has been no official confirmation.

Complaints and criticisms have increased to the point that mods on the Xbox Game Pass Reddit page have begun removing posts about the situation. Most of these posts say that the problem is not a lack of new games but a lack of communication.

Again, this change could easily just be a product of the holiday season. However, if that is the case, it has not been communicated. Xbox has said nothing about the matter other than this one tweet, which you can read below. If this changes, we will definitely update the story accordingly.

Will Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family be announced later this month?!

While Netflix is about to restrict password sharing, Xbox Game Pass will let the whole family in on the fun. Or at least it probably will, according to information leaked last August. The Friends & Family package was initially being tested in Ireland and Colombia. It allows multiple Xbox accounts to use the same Xbox Game Pass subscription. A whistleblower also spotted a Friends & Family logo in a recent Xbox app update. Details such as pricing or other restrictions were not disclosed, but we may not have to wait too much longer for Xbox to come clean.

As spotted by Game Pass Counter and several ResetEra folks, ads for the upcoming Friends & Family Game Pass bundle have already appeared on the Xbox home screen. This likely signals an imminent launch, with fans speculating it will happen during the rumoured Xbox game launch.

Xbox is rumoured to be holding its Developer_Direct event on January 25, where it will showcase games planned for 2023. Redfall, Forza Motorsport and Minecraft Legends will reportedly headline the event. Xbox itself has yet to provide official confirmation. Starfield is also reportedly skipping the event, which has some fans worried that it wouldn’t arrive in 2023 as promised.

All of this is just speculation until Xbox makes an actual announcement, though the ads before the game’s launch seem to be a pretty concrete sign that something is in the works.

Microsoft has also announced that its contemporary Xbox consoles will soon all be ‘carbon conscious’, significantly reducing the platform’s overall carbon emissions. Over the last few years, energy efficiency has become an increasingly important game industry consideration. The Redmond team has now ensured that its own video game platform contributes to reducing fossil fuel dependency and CO2 emissions.

Source: Reddit, Tech4Gamers, Xbox

everything coming soon is coming soon. soon.

— Xbox Game Pass (@XboxGamePass) January 3, 2023