Gamers are starting to get Xbox Game Pass ads on their console home screens after canceling their subscriptions. Microsoft has caused quite the stir lately after shaking up its subscription tiers and prices, causing many people to leave the service. Now, some former Xbox Game Pass subscribers are getting even more frustrated, as ads asking them to come back have almost immediately populated their screens.
On October 1, Microsoft revealed it was raising the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate by $10 a month in a staggering 50% increase. The subscription service, often hailed as one of, if not the best, deals in gaming, also added multiple titles to its library and increased the perks for the lower tiers, which are now called Xbox Game Pass Essential and Premium instead of Core and Standard. However, many fans were unhappy with the price hikes for Ultimate and PC Game Pass, leading them to cancel, but it seems Microsoft is not ready to let go of those customers so easily.
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Gamers Get Multiple Ads for Xbox Game Pass After Canceling the Service
Redditor Jagraen posted a screenshot of their Xbox home screen showing several ads for Xbox Game Pass that reportedly appeared after the user canceled their subscription. Multiple others in the comments expressed going through a similar experience. Ads have been prominent on the Xbox home screen for a while now, but the influx of Ultimate subscribers canceling their services may lead Microsoft to push more Game Pass adverts in an effort to win them back. Mere hours after the company announced the controversial price hike, the Xbox Game Pass cancellation page crashed because so many people were trying to end their subscriptions at the same time.
Microsoft's handling of the Xbox Game Pass situation is not the only recent action by the company rubbing fans the wrong way. The gaming giant has also announced it is raising the prices of Xbox Series X and S consoles in the U.S., with some systems jumping by as much as $70. Its recently announced handheld system also commands up to $999, which many expected, but still was a largely unwelcome reveal. These price increases stem mainly from difficult macroeconomic conditions, but many gamers point out that they are also affected by the same financial strain.
As controversial as the move may be, it's far from unprecedented. Microsoft has raised Xbox Game Pass prices several times over the years, and there are substantially more titles available on the platform now than when it first went live. As such, whether it's still worth it at its current rate is up for debate and comes down to individual preferences and budgets, but some are unhappy about the influx of ads after choosing to part ways with Xbox Game Pass.