Update (11/03/2023 20:00):
So, it sounds like Phil Spencer didn’t know what was going down. He has since spoken up and said that Game Pass is still available for all!
After looking into this more with the team, I just want to confirm that no change will be made to Game Pass availability in 2024. If you have access to the Game Pass offer today you will continue to have access. I appreciate the time to get up to speed and sorry for the questions and confusion created. And thanks for supporting Xbox.”
Phil Spencer, CEO, Xbox via internal Viva platform
Original story:
It seems like it’s a bad time to be a Microsoft employee if you enjoy your gaming. The Xbox maker will be removing the employee Game Pass Ultimate perk for most of their 238,000 employees. According to inside sources, the company started informing staff that access will come to an end January 2024.
It seems that folks who work in Xbox or Microsoft Gaming will retain the perk, but everyone else is just plain out of luck. Microsoft will still sell them discounted access to the subscription service within the company’s internal store.
Staff have voiced their dismay at the company’s decision within internal communication platforms. Some have called on Phil Spencer, the new CEO of Xbox, to do something about it. Many believe that he doesn’t know this has happened and that he may be able to change it.
This move has coincidentally happened after Microsoft raised the price of Game Pass Ultimate to $16.99 a month. They also introduced Game Pass Core a couple of months ago.
You’d think with all the money Microsoft saved when they let go of all those LinkedIn employees they’d still be able to keep the perk alive. But maybe all that money went to the Activision Blizzard purchase.
