Totally! But, you know what you need to use Game Pass? A compatible device! I mean, maybe xCloud will come online sooner than I expect. But, barring that, you're gonna need an Xbox. Now, Game Pass works JUST FINE on your old Xbox. You can play Halo Infinite without upgrading. Indeed, most Xbox super fans will be able to do that. And sure, maybe MS isn't that concerned about selling hardware anymore... but you know they still are - because it provides a foundation moving forward for the platform.
Would it really make that much difference in real terms? Not really. But it would be quite significant for PR purposes. Halo is FREE with a new Xbox. Yes, it was already free, but now you get it FULLY FREE. It would drive adoption from people who don't already have an Xbox and it would likely convince a few more One owners to upgrade.
Remember, marketing is about perceived value - and the fact that you guys seem to think that the value is too high is exactly why I think it's (potentially) a smart move. In real terms, everyone who buys a new Scarlett will be able to play Halo anyway with the trial game pass. Those who would play the campaign and leave are not affected either way. The people who are subbed to game pass until forever also are not affected by this. So, we're losing the people who would have bought Halo anyway, just because, and the people who would have subbed to GP only for Halo.
Not only do I think these are both increasingly small numbers of people, I also believe that getting a strong install base quickly is the best way to get more people into the ecosystem, buying things and subbing to GP. Just the friend effect around a critical mass of hype would draw in more people. If we're really REALLY worried about lost value, I would have the pack-in deal extend for like just 4 months. November to February.
(I don't actually feel that strongly about this lol, but it's fun to think about. And I think we're going to see some weird or unexpected marketing moves from MS with this launch.)
