Updated: Microsoft has confirmed in a statement to The Verge that the days of $1 Xbox Game Pass are indeed done and dusted.
“We have stopped our previous introductory offer for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass and are evaluating different marketing promotions for new members in the future,” said Kari Perez, head of global communications at Xbox.
It looks like the days of pressuring your mates into jumping on Xbox Game Pass with the promise of their first month costing the same as a Macca’s Frozen Coke might be over.
Users have discovered that, seemingly across the globe and with no exceptions, Microsoft has pulled the plug on its famous $1 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deal, which allowed first-time signups to get a month of “the best value in gaming” at that ridiculously cheap price. We’ve verified this for Aussies, attempting to sign up to a new subscription with a fresh account no longer prompts any mention of the $1 deal and simply shows us the full price of the subscription.
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Reportedly, the other trick to getting a great-value Xbox Game Pass subscription, signing up to the cheaper Xbox Live Gold and “upgrading” it to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at the cost of one month, is still valid for anyone new to Xbox Game Pass – just at a slightly higher cost to make the conversion. We won’t elaborate on that one here, but it’s something you could certainly Google if it you wanted to.
The lineup for Game Pass in 2023 is quite substantial, with some super heavy hitters in the forms of Starfield, Redfall, Forza Motorsport and Ark II all pegged to release this year and coming day-and-date to the subscription service, among a ton of other really exciting smaller titles, so if Microsoft was ever going to start charging the full the amount this would definitely be the year. Still, with zero warning it’s sure to turn a few heads.
(FYI) Microsoft have ended the $1 deal for #XboxGamePassUltimate
The subscription can now only be purchased at full price from the store.
At the moment, it is not known whether this is just a temporary or has gone forever.
Source:https://t.co/xYe3Oafebo pic.twitter.com/HWtS1DcWHv
— Idle Sloth?? (@IdleSloth84_) March 26, 2023
Of course there’s always the chance that this is temporary, or a mistake, so we’ll patiently await any changes or statements from Microsoft and update this article if necessary.