Microsoft is exploring an ad-supported Xbox Game Pass tier

A recent survey suggests that Microsoft could be working on a new, ad-free tier for Xbox Game Pass that would come with Xbox Live Gold.

The survey, discovered by Windows Central, was found in a ResetEra forum thread late last week.

The alleged survey asked Xbox gamers how they would feel about an additional tier of Xbox Game Pass at a much lower cost of around 3 euros per month (~$3).

Of course, that lower cost comes with a couple of limitations. First, it would still give users access to a vault of Xbox first-party games, though it would make users wait six months before accessing new games.

The main caveat to this purported new tier would be the addition of advertisements. Users would see personalized ads whenever they open up a Game Pass game that they want to play.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard Microsoft explore the idea of ads on Xbox. The company recently filed a patent for technology that could add personalized ads inside some games.

According to the survey, the new ad-supported tier would include access to Xbox Live Gold. That presents a puzzling situation, considering the price of the service.

Xbox Live Gold costs $60 per year or $5 per month. That cost alone is more expensive than the supposed ad-supported tier, making the new system undercut Xbox’s current prices.

This could represent a change in price for a yearly Xbox Live Gold subscription.

Either way, this is all just speculation at this point. Microsoft hasn’t said anything official about an ad-supported Game Pass tier yet.

But we wouldn’t be surprised to see something like this come to light. More companies are adopting ad-supported options, so this is definitely a possibility.

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