Saving Money / Entertainment
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Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass gaming service recently hit 25 million subscribers, up from 18 million in January 2021. Boosted by the pandemic as well as acquisitions that have expanded the service’s catalog of games, game pass is a cow milk for big tech companies.
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Insider reported that Microsoft makes around $250 million every month from the subscription service, which has tiered plans available for around $10 or $15 a month. The subscription service is poised to bring in around $4 billion over the next year.
With the planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, the Microsoft Game Pass portfolio will grow even further. Microsoft will have access to 30 in-house game development companies, including ZeniMax Media — the parent company of Bethesda, acquired late last year — which produces Doom, Fallout, Wolfenstein and other big-name IPs. Of course, Microsoft will now also own Activision Blizzard’s vast catalog of flagship IPs, such as Warcraft, Call of Duty, Diablo, and Candy Crush.
How much does Xbox Game Pass cost?
Subscribers pay $14.99 for the Ultimate plan, which includes access to over 100 high-quality games across multiple platforms, including Xbox, PC, and mobile devices. Ultimate subscribers also get access to Xbox Live Gold, a monthly value of $9.99, as well as Xbox Cloud Gaming, allowing them to stream games to a variety of devices. The subscription also includes EAPlay, providing the ability to enjoy a host of Electronic Arts games, including popular sports titles like Madden NFL, NHL, UFC, and more.
PC gamers can downgrade to the regular subscription for $9.99 a month, which offers over 100 PC games – and includes same-day access to Xbox Game Studios titles when they’re released as well as the library EA Play. The Console Subscription, also at $9.99, offers the same benefits and value for console gamers.
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Is Xbox Game Pass Worth It?
While gaming service subscriptions make money for Microsoft, it’s also great value for consumers. Insider points out that it’s worth buying a subscription even if you only want one game on the service.
For gamers currently investing in Xbox Live Gold for $10 a month to access multiplayer gaming capabilities on Xbox, paying the extra $4.99 offers a lot of value. Additionally, Xbox Cloud Gaming allows those with more modest rigs to enjoy streaming gameplay, letting the cloud do the heavy lifting.
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Microsoft’s focus on cloud gaming can help bring newer, more technically demanding games like Microsoft Flight Simulator to older Xbox consoles like the original Xbox One. The company also announced last fall that it was working on an Xbox app — and xCloud stick — for smart TVs that will allow gamers to stream games even if they don’t have a console.
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