Game Pass currently offers two tiers at different prices with the base subscription and Game Pass Ultimate, but it seems like Microsoft might be gearing up to introduce a cheaper tier of the service in the future.
A recent survey sent out by Microsoft – which was posted on ResetEra and spotted by Windows Central – asks users about interest in a cheaper tier costing $3 per month (as opposed to $10 per month for the current base tier and $15 per month for Game Pass Ultimate) that would come with some limitations.
One of these limitations, according to the survey, would see all Xbox Game Studios releases becoming available six months after launch instead of immediately upon release, while also offering access to online multiplayer for paid titles (which comes bundled with Ultimate subscriptions as well, and costs $10 per month on its own).
Interestingly, the survey also mentions that this cheaper tier would be supported by ads, with users being asked to view ads before games boot up, if said games are being accessed through the subscription.
Microsoft’s interest in introducing ads in some form has become quite clear over recent months. A report earlier this year claimed that the company was working on an in-game advertising program for free-to-play titles (which is something that Sony is allegedly looking into as well), while more recently, it emerged that Microsoft has filed patent for personalized in-game ads.
While you wouldn’t think any of the aforementioned developments would be concrete enough evidence of Microsoft’s plans on their own, put together, they do seem to indicate that the company intends to introduce ads to the Xbox ecosystem in some fashion. No official announcements have been made about the same just yet though, so it remains to be seen how long it will be before this leads to something concrete.