Oh you're right - I completely forgot that Destiny 2 went F2P, just with how much stuff is ultimately locked behind keeping up with expansions and season pass stuff. So yeah, bad example.
Point being that if a game is innately an online multiplayer game and is not F2P, then you have to pay the online XBL tax - it's very silly and frustrating, but it seems like MS (and Sony for that matter) aren't willing to turn that revenue spigot off anytime soon, as much as I'd like them both to.
They want to get people on the trajectory to subscribing to Game Pass Ultimate.
The subscription most people already have now comes with a free trial version of Game Pass, essentially.
I'm sure there's also a benefit to reframing Game Pass as an upgrade to something you already have rather than an additional subscription service.
Unfortunately, consoles are never going to make online play free again.
The whole reason Nintendo jumped on the subscription train, after launching the switch without one, is because a massive chunk of people who subscribe to a console service are doing so solely for the online play.
It's a massive money earner.
How is Core anything like a 'free trial version' of Game Pass? A load of old games?
I do find it funny that, although justified when it started in 2003, Xbox has managed to keep the Xbox Live subscription around by just refusing to ever turn it off, to the point Sony and Nintendo were able to justify also making people pay for online multiplayer when they didn't used to.
Like I said, at one point in time it made sense, especially the revolutionary features XBL pushed forward in those early days, but nowadays, when you have Discord literally built into the Xbox OS, it makes zero logical sense to continue tapping the consumer of money just to play online. This rebrand would have been the perfect opportunity to win good will and transition, but the suits could not find it in their pocketbooks or hearts to do something consumer friendly, even if it might benefit the brand in the long run.
The only difference is each Plus tier builds off the previous tier...so MS would have to keep GwG.Raise the price of console and add Live to it. It'd be just like PS+ then, with a collection instead of the monthly games.
This is probably a sign that there are a lot of people out there who just pay for multiplayer
It's a subset of the games available on the full Game Pass. I'm sure it's also presented in the same way full Game Pass is - you're going to a tab labeled 'Game Pass' and seeing that selection of games.
Maybe trial is the wrong word? I mean it in the same sense as 'demo'. It's a slice of what you would get subscribing to Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate.
Don't disagree one bit - it would have been a great opportunity to pivot, and I wish they did. But I guess this kinda squares with various statements made by MS officials throughout the MS/ABK stuff to the effect of Xbox has to be profitable, it can't just lose money year after year to build up a consumer base. The C-suite and board at MS clearly expect profitability, and the whole idea of requiring people to pay for online access is just too much guaranteed money for the Xbox team to justify giving up for potential future growth.
XBL Gold (and now Game Pass Core) is still revenue that is coming in that can be turned around and re-invested into Game Pass. They just aren't willing to give up that revenue.
Yeah looking at the plans all you have to do is this. Game Pass Core, Game Pass Pro, Game Pass Ultimate. Add multiplayer to console and rename it. EA Play and cloud are already exclusive to ultimate. It makes sense. Because right now 9.99 and 10.99 are kinda dumb.Raise the price of console and add Live to it. It'd be just like PS+ then, with a collection instead of the monthly games.
But that's already the case? In what world GwG is better than this? Depending on how they update the list, it might be better than 2-3 monthly games model from GwG and Plus Essential. If it's something like all recent first party with a 3-6month delay it's crazy good.
Edit: my bad, I thought you're saying Core is worse than Gold. 💀
sure you can upgrade. the conversion deal always worked with any/all of the subscriptions the same way, be it live or game pass for console or game pass PC. everyone just used live because it was the cheapest.
Sucks that Console doesnt have the online multiplayer,I have Ultimate but the PC part is useless for me...oh well.
It's in the article and top of the OP, though (pulled from the Xbox Wire article). But yes, you can still buy it yearly like Essential/Gold.
Didn't realize base GP (console) did not include online. Guess it's a good change business-wise, but I'll miss 2 free games with GwG.
One thing that really bugs me about them continuing to charge for online multiplayer on Xbox is that more and more games are requiring third party account logins. Even in some first party games - ex. Redfall requires a Bethesda.net account to play! What exactly am I paying for if I have to put up with this ticky-tacky PC game type nonsense?
It should have been done time ago but, I guess it's because Ms didn't want to inflate the GP numbers during the merger trial
Raise the price of console and add Live to it. It'd be just like PS+ then, with a collection instead of the monthly games.
People will cry bloody murder that they're raising the cost of Game Pass so much. Probably most clear solution marketing wise, however, after the blowback subsides.
Hate the branding and pricing. Core doesn't communicate that it's the tier that includes online play, so Game Pass Corre is essentially a separate subscription from the rest of Game Pass. Game Pass PC and Ultimate are fine in terms of branding and price, but I wish they just rolled Console and Core into the same tier for maybe $12.99. So, you have Game Pass for $12.99, Game Pass PC for $9.99 and Ultimate for $16.99. Obviously, they still want their money for online and they want to push people towards Ultimate, but I think it would still be a viable tier even if Console and Core tiers were combined. I also think if you're still going to offer a separate sub for just online then changing the name from the well-established and well-known Xbox Live Gold doesn't make much sense. Paying for online is a separate thing from Game Pass and including 25 games doesn't change that. As a PC and Console gamer this doesn't affect me as I'd get Ultimate either way but still, I don't love this.
This made sense to me until I remembered that Game Pass Console doesn't include online multiplayer so now if you want that you need to be subscribed to two tiers of Game Pass at the same time? That's just a bizarre way to set it up. At least before it was clearly differentiated that Gold and Game Pass were separate things so there was some logic to why you would need to subscribe to both of them.
If fable isn't there day 1 then I won't subscribe at all. It isn't a "why wait years" it's a "if Microsoft ain't putting fable day 1 on there then I'm not subscribing at all". I refuse to subscribe to a service I either don't like or don't want to support which is what gamepass (the full service has become) if they want to upgrade gold then sure I will grab a month here and there maybe. I'm not sure why that's a controversial idea but apparently it is. The same reason I don't want to subscribe to Netflix, or certain music streaming services. Sorry if that's a new concept to you. But I also don't plan to buy fable day 1 because I refuse to pay full price for it and I refuse to use gamepass for one game. I'll buy it used and get it far cheaper and on disc for my own personal reasons and I don't honestly care of your opinion on it.
I don't think I've claimed a games with gold in years, that's pretty lame that online play isn't included with regular game pass.
The official price for XBGS core and Live Gold is the same.
I dislike those name tho (like core, essential, ecc.). I like something like level1, level 2, etc..
I'm so confused...
Fable WILL be in Game Pass day 1... it just won't be the "Core" tier...
You are willing to only subscribe to Game Pass Core to play Fable day 1 but not Game Pass for Console?
Oof. I know the Gold->GPU conversion couldn't last forever, but the effective price hike of $5/mo to $17/mo for GPU is a dealbreaker. I assume there won't be any deals on GPU anymore. I guess I'll drop online multiplayer so it's $13, but man. Disappointing.
Really great point - the original selling points of Live have fallen by the wayside
Gamepass core is basically upgraded live gold. It isn't gamepass apart from the name. I have no issues supporting an upgraded gold. I have issues with gamepass as in the real package and my own personal issues with supporting it are my decisions. You can be confused all you want. If they don't put it day 1 on an upgraded Xbox live gold service then I'll just buy it on disc for cheap used and not support their subscription services at all.
To be clear I also don't sub to anything but normal ps+ either. I don't like the idea of huge gaming subscriptions and that has only become more of a thing the more I've seen what Microsoft has done since starting it and sony joining in.
No word on whether unused Gold codes will be activated as Core for the foreseeable, beyond September 1st. It's likely to be the case but it would be nice to have some confirmation.
I get that they can't include online multiplayer with Game Pass console because the prices would be silly. Pay $10 a month for ~30 games and online play, or pay $11 a month for hundreds of games and online play.
Still I was hoping the rumors were true and they would finally get rid of the cost of online multiplayer. I doubt it will happen now.
Still I was hoping the rumors were true and they would finally get rid of the cost of online multiplayer. I doubt it will happen now.
That's a thing now on consoles? Damn. Microsoft, whaddya doin'?
This is essentially just a rebrand of XBL Gold while also replacing GwG with the Core library. They want the brand to be synonymous with Game Pass. Right now, your subscription page can have two subs from Xbox on it (along with things like Ubi+ and EA Play), and they want to streamline their portion.
Get latest Microsoft game releases on Gamepass, cool 😎, Gamepass Core…no not that one, this one, Gamepass, right…🤔you want to play online, not that one either, try this one, 🤔I don't have a PC 🤷♀️not that one either, try Ultimate, Okay, most expensive 🤔, it also has cloud gaming, what and why do I need it ? Never mind but forgot to say Ultimate has EA Access, umm 🤔 is that like FIFA, No that's EA Sports FC, what? 🤔
Last edited:
Yes, unfortunately. To be fair though this isn't unique to Xbox or even to multiplayer games. For example, I think AC Valhalla and Immortals Fenyx Rising both require Ubisoft Connect accounts to play on both PlayStation and Xbox. These used to be optional but seem to be more and more a requirement for games like these with pseudo 'always-online' modes.
For console players, basically Ultimate is Core + Console so you save 4 dollars a month if you want multiplayer and the library. It's just the existence of PC making it all confusing. lol
No, you just need to subscribe to ultimate.
Core = some (very few, relatively) games, online play
Console = all games, no online play
Ultimate = all games, online play