The best Xbox Game Pass offer got much worse, as Microsoft worsened its value proposition just weeks after reintroducing the promotion.

 

 

The best Xbox Game Pass offer just got a lot worse. That’s because Microsoft’s $1 introductory offer now only lets new subscribers try the service for 14 days instead of an entire month. The company ended its long-running Game Pass promotion back in March, only to reverse that decision by early summer.

Microsoft’s decision in July to resurrect the best Xbox Game Pass promotion came with a big caveat: the offer is not only available to new subscribers, but the conversion rate for users switching from Xbox Live Gold has also changed from 1:1 to 3:2.

For example, 60 days of Xbox Live Gold now equals only 40 days of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Microsoft has just cut the $1 offer. It has halved the duration to just two weeks. The promotion still applies to Game Pass for PC and Ultimate level of service. These are typically priced at $9.99 and $16.99 per month, respectively. The change was made without any fuss, which is usual for such moves.

This development is the second unfortunate news for prospective Game Pass subscribers in as many months. Back when the company resurrected the now-depreciated $1 deal, it also made Xbox Game Pass more expensive across the board. With the first price hike in the service’s history, the console tier jumped from $9.99 to $10.99 monthly. Meanwhile, Game Pass Ultimate will now cost subscribers $16.99 a month. That’s $2 higher than the original price. The $9.99 per month PC-only tier has not been affected. Revised pricing for existing subscribers is still not in effect. This is scheduled to take place on August 13.

While the fact that the best Xbox Game Pass deal has now gotten much worse is far from a victory for consumers, it is also a sign that Microsoft’s subscription service is starting to live up to its name.

After all, the tech giant would hardly be devaluing its flagship platform’s launch offer if it wasn’t confident that its ever-expanding content library and wide range of discounts such as discounts and free games could speak for themselves.

That said, Microsoft’s Netflix-like games offering hasn’t exactly been a shining star recently. On the contrary, Xbox Game Pass 2022 fell short of its subscriber target for the second year in a row. So it is very much in question whether the service will manage to generate stronger momentum going forward, especially in light of the now weakened $1 offer.

Source: X

Game Pass $1 offer is now only for 14 days instead of 1 month https://t.co/8tUcvdYHX3https://t.co/YyikFfWP0T pic.twitter.com/TujfohoxJ3

— Wario64 (@Wario64) August 8, 2023