Microsoft to discontinue Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan

Microsoft has announced that it will be discontinuing its Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan, bringing an end to a service that allowed Xbox Game Pass members to share benefits with up to four other friends or family members. This plan, which had already expanded to eight countries by February, will come to a close on August 15th, with no indication of its return.

In a statement to Eurogamer, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the end of the Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan. The spokesperson stated, “The Friends & Family Preview will end on August 15, in all participating countries (Ireland, Colombia, New Zealand, Sweden, Israel, Chile, Hungary, and South Africa). We are no longer accepting new registrations, and new member additions to existing plans will no longer be accepted after July 17.” The spokesperson also explained that the preview program was initiated in August 2022 to gather insights into shaping new Game Pass offerings, and Microsoft intends to utilize these learnings to develop future offers for players worldwide.

The fate of the Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan remains uncertain. It is unclear whether Microsoft intends to introduce the plan in more markets in the future or if the company will introduce a revamped formula and pricing structure for a similar offering.

Initially, Microsoft launched the plan without referring to it as a preview, instead labeling it as a pilot program available in select countries. Over time, the pilot expanded to additional markets, but Microsoft now indicates that it was, in fact, a “preview program” all along.

As a token of appreciation for their participation in the preview, existing members will receive Xbox Game Pass Ultimate codes. Both primary and secondary members will be sent these codes, as detailed in an Xbox support article.

The discontinuation of the Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan comes shortly after Microsoft’s recent increase in monthly prices for Xbox Game Pass. The cost of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has risen from $14.99 to $16.99 per month, while the base Xbox Game Pass for Console now costs $10.99 per month, up from $9.99. However, Microsoft has not made any changes to the pricing of PC Game Pass.

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