Microsoft Shortens Xbox Game Pass Trial Period To 14 Days Ahead of Starfield Release
The trial version of Microsoft’s Xbox GamePass service, which is offered at Rs 50 per month, has been reduced to 14 days per month. Notably, Xbox has been offering a month-long trial for Rs 50 for a while now, and this comes just ahead of the launch of Starfield on September 6 – the company’s biggest story-driven exclusive in years.
It’s not clear why Microsoft has shortened the duration of the discounted trial, but gamers on Twitter speculate that it’s because Microsoft doesn’t want players to end the trial by paying just 50 rupees or $1.
“Obviously because people aren’t playing Starfield for $1. I don’t know why people are so surprised to see these deals shorten or end altogether,” the user wrote on X.
Xbox also recently increased the prices of different GamePass tiers in India and various regions in June. GamePass Ultimate for a month is now Rs 549 from Rs 499, and Game Pass for console is now Rs 379 from Rs 349.
In the US, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate was raised from $14.99 to $16.99 per month, and Xbox Game Pass for Console increased from $9.99 to $10.99 per month. PC Game Pass prices remain unchanged.
Microsoft had also announced that it will stop previewing its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Friends and Family plan on August 15. This, combined with the fact that Xbox management has repeatedly stated that Xbox Game Pass’ current pricing is unsustainable, suggests that the company may be revamping the service to make it more profitable.
“We’ve kept the price on our console, we’ve kept the price on the games… and our subscriptions. I don’t think we’ll be able to do that forever. I think at some point we’re going to have to raise the prices on certain things,” Xbox head Phil Spencer said last year. It seems that Microsoft is doing exactly what it promised it would do last year.
