Report: Xbox Planning Major Overhaul Of Game Pass With 'À La Carte' Options

We've heard rumours in recent months about how Xbox might be planning some kind of overhaul to Game Pass in the near future, and now the folks at Fortune have also reported that something big is coming to the service.

The outlet says that "according to people familiar with the strategy", Xbox Game Pass will soon allow players to "choose features à la carte", including add-ons for "console-only games, cloud gaming, and multiplayer".

Here's the part in the report that mentions this:

"Xbox is planning a major overhaul of Game Pass that would have players choose features à la carte, including add-ons for console-only games, cloud gaming, and multiplayer, with the system operating on a tiered structure, according to people familiar with the strategy."

We've already had a taste of this in recent times with the announcement that Xbox Cloud Gaming will soon come with time limits for Xbox Game Pass members, and buying extra time will be available as an optional add-on.

It sounds like they're going to be taking this one step further with the "à la carte" style system, although the wording here is still very vague and it remains to be seen how it'll shape up. We've already had multiplayer-exclusive and console-exclusive services related to Xbox Live and Game Pass in the past, so are we going back to that kind of thing?

That might draw in some people, but I still feel like its a waste of money if you don't have enough time to play games.

I don't care about cloud gaming and I pay for the lowest tier so I can play Sonic Racing Crossworlds online, I don't know if it could get cheaper but if they give me the option to only pay for online play and nothing else I'd be okay with that.

I don't actually like most of what I'm seeing here.

Game Pass isn't perfect, but the current structure is already pretty simple: Console, PC, or Ultimate if you want both. There's also an entry-level option for people who just want to try the service. That's about as complicated as it needs to be.

A lot of these proposed add-ons just look like they're taking the games people actually want and charging for them separately. If you're paying the equivalent of a full game's value spread across 12 months, that's not really a deal anymore. It's just a payment plan that never ends. The biggest value of Game Pass has always been the library of games included in the subscription, and this feels like it's moving away from that.

The cloud gaming changes seem even worse. A 10-hour monthly limit isn't much gaming at all. Even with the extra paid hours, the value doesn't look great compared to competing cloud services that offer significantly (over 10 times) more playtime for about the same entry cost. If the argument is that not enough people are using cloud gaming, making it more expensive and restrictive seems like the exact opposite of what you'd do to attract new users.

Personally, I'd keep things simple. Have a basic Game Pass Core tier for online play and a small selection of first-party titles, then keep Console, PC, and Ultimate as straightforward upgrades. People understand those options.

As for cloud gaming, I'd rather see it separated into its own subscription with different usage tiers. That way people can combine the Game Pass tier they want with the cloud tier they want.

What concerns me most is the move toward add-ons and microtransactions within a subscription service. I don't see that improving the experience for players. It mainly feels like another way to increase revenue, and I'm not convinced that's what Game Pass needs right now.