It is currently unknown when Microsoft will launch its “Friends & Family” strategy for Xbox Game Pass, but it will be a big move if it allows people to share the benefits of Game Pass Ultimate. There are currently three Game Pass options for consoles, Xbox Game Pass for PCs and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The Ultimate plan currently costs $14.99 per month in the United States, and if the “Friends & Family” plan costs around $25, it will be right on track to continue Microsoft’s domination of the cloud gaming market.
Microsoft has recently begun testing a new tier of the service, which allows users to share the benefits of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with friends and family members. A new logo might indicate that we are getting closer to a wider rollout or even a public launch as we are nearing the end of the test.
The new service has been described as being for ‘friends and family’ by Xbox in its own press release, although it was initially thought to be just a family plan. The plan can be shared with up to four people, as long as they live in the same country, thanks to an Xbox Insider test that was launched in Colombia and Ireland at the beginning of the month. Many cloud media providers are moving toward this to combat one login being shared outside the country.
Xbox Game Pass Friends and Family will one-up the competition
Microsoft has been working hard over the last few years to change the shape of its gaming business. In addition to consoles, PC, smartphones, and even TVs, the company has worked to build out services that can be utilized no matter where you want to play or what hardware you would like to play on. In 2011, the company established Xbox Game Pass, which fundamentally altered how gamers play games. This has given it the capacity to develop in a different way than its rivals.
Even though Microsoft has yet to announce when Game Pass Ultimate will be available, the ability to share the benefits with others will put Xbox Game Pass in a league of its own until the competition catches up. Currently, Microsoft offers three different plans, Xbox Game Pass for PCs at $9.99, Xbox Game Pass for consoles at $9.99, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $14.99 per month in the United States, and the “Friends & Family” plan is expected to be upwards of that at around $25.
