The Xbox Game Pass advanced to Microsoft’s success model, so it’s no wonder that it is gradually coming to other platforms and that the Redmond-based company is also thinking about how the subscription model can be optimized. This is where family membership comes into play.
Services that are paid month after month have meanwhile established themselves in the network. The Netflix model is popular and accepted, especially in the streaming area for films and TV series, as well as in the music area. So far, Microsoft is most likely to make the whole thing socially acceptable in the video game business with the Xbox Game Pass – and in the future it could also take a feature from providers in other areas.
The game subscription can currently only be subscribed to and used by one user. In the music sector in particular, however, it is common to take out a family membership for a slightly higher fee and thus be able to make the entire offer available to family members without restriction. Such a model is available from Spotify or Apple Music, among others – and in the future such a model could also reach the Xbox Game Pass.
We have. It’s something we’d like to do. There is Home console feature for one console household but for multiple family members with consoles a family plan would help. Really appreciate the feedback.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) December 9, 2020
At least that’s what Xbox boss Phil Spencer is now leaving via Twitter from the stack. W hen asked whether Microsoft had already thought about such a model, he replied: “We have it. This is something we would really like to do.”
Accordingly, the Xbox Game Pass could be made available to multiple console users with just one subscription. The previous model provides a maximum of two different users of the home console features. Family membership could open this maximum upwards in the future, although Spencer also admits that there are currently no solutions for actually being able to make this feature available. This is unlikely to be available in the very near future, especially since a lot of preparatory work still seems to be done.