Microsoft vice president of the game department Sarah Bond in an interview with the British Rolling Stones UK magazine revealed that Xbox is exploring other game models in addition to Xbox Game Pass, such as “time-limited trial” or “in-game advertising”. She said these models could provide developers with more choice and creativity, so they don’t have to be limited to one model.
Bond said, “Xbox Game Pass is just one of many business models, Xbox is also experimenting with other models, such as adding ads to the game, which is more common in mobile games, is there a model that fits on PC and consoles? Are there other models, like games that you can try out for a period of time or something like that? Giving creators the option to try and do what they like can actually create a more immersive and creative experience.”
It’s worth noting that Xbox currently has other models besides Xbox Game Pass, but they all require a Gold membership. One is called Games with Gold, which gives Gold members two games per month that they can keep as long as they have an active Gold membership. There are also Free Play Days, which allow Gold members to play selected games for free for a few days.
It was reported last December that Microsoft was surveying gamers about the cheaper, ad-supported Game Pass tier.
