Xbox says Game Pass could be free, but there’s a catch

Shane Black
xbox game pass trial

Xbox Game Pass may be available for free in the future, but it’s going to require a little something from the audience.

Tim Stuart, Microsoft Gaming CFO, recently shared a vision to have Xbox Game Pass Cloud streaming for free, as long as players watch a certain amount of ads.

Advertisements could play a huge part in the future of Xbox’s gaming subscription and cloud services.

It could allow for a cheaper way to access the popular platform, as long as gamers are willing to engage with the prerequisites.

Xbox is looking to experiment with ads to offer free Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming

Tim Stuart’s recent comments came during a Wells Fargo summit, where he explained a possible future for the cloud gaming platform.

His idea is for players to watch a specific amount of advertisements in exchange for a determined about of time with Xbox Game Pass Cloud streaming, saying, “… ‘hey, do you want to watch 30 seconds of an ad and then get two hours of game streaming?'”

Xbox Game Pass Cloud advertisement

Stuart explained that this model would be able to help a demographic who may not be able to access Xbox Game Pass another way.

It’s certainly not a given, as Stuart has made plenty of remarks in the past about what he’d like to have happen with the platform.

During the same summit, he mentioned looking to bring Xbox Game Pass to other platforms like PlayStation or the Nintendo Switch. However, Phil Spencer quickly shot these rumors down as nothing more than a dream.

Microsoft has put a lot of time into its cloud platform, bringing the ability to play Xbox games on mobile devices and more through Xbox Game Pass Cloud so it would make sense for them to continue innovating on the platform and its model.

About The Author

Shane is a Games Writer here with Dexerto, with a focus on first-person shooters, sports games, and just about anything else you can think of. He's worked with other sites like IGN, Dualshockers, and Gamepur, and possesses a huge passion for gaming.