Microsoft Confirms Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family Preview to End in August

The Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family preview is being discontinued. This Game Pass plan allows up to five friends and family members to share Game Pass Ultimate benefits. It is still unclear whether it will be reintroduced in the future.

Microsoft Discontinuing Xbox Game Pass Friends and Family Plan

After launching a limited preview last September, Microsoft confirmed that the rumors being speculated for months are true.

According to The Verge, a Microsoft spokesperson told Eurogamer that the Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan will close on August 15 in all participating countries, namely Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Israel, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, and South Africa.

The spokesperson noted that they will no longer accept new registrations, and new member additions to existing plans are no longer allowed after July 17.

"The Friends & Family preview was announced in August of 2022 with the intent to learn more about how to shape new Game Pass offerings. We look forward to using those learnings to help create an offer we can bring to more players worldwide in the future," the spokesperson added.

Currently, Microsoft's intentions to introduce the Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan to more markets or whether the company will tweak the formula and pricing into something new remain uncertain.

As a token of appreciation for participating in Microsoft's preview, the company will send Xbox Game Pass Ultimate codes to existing preview members "to ensure they can continue to play the games they love after the preview ends." Both primary and secondary members will reportedly receive codes.

Increasing Prices

This move follows a price increase in Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass prices. Eurogamer reported that Microsoft increased its Xbox Game Pass prices in Europe earlier this month.

The price for Ultimate rose from £10.99 ($14)/month to £12.99 ($17)/month, while its console-only option now costs £8.99 ($11). Along with these increases, the company also reintroduced its £1 ($1.30) Game Pass trial.

The Xbox Series X will experience a price hike in several countries starting August 1, including the UK. In the UK market, the console's price will go up from £449.99 ($589) to £479.99 ($628), while in most European countries, the price will increase from €499.99 ($562) to €549.99 ($618).

Upon the implementation of the price hike, Xbox Series X would be aligned with Sony's PlayStation 5, which had a price increase in August last year. However, it is worth noting that no price changes have been announced for the Xbox Series S.

Apart from the Game Pass updates, Microsoft has also been gaining attention due to its ongoing legal dispute with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Earlier this week, IGN reported that Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction to halt Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. However, the FTC has appealed this decision a day later.

Throughout this legal battle, we have seen Microsoft's strategies. In a recent court document, the FTC highlighted Microsoft's plans to leverage Game Pass subscriptions and Xbox console sales to compensate for the potential losses resulting from the exclusivity of games like Starfield and Indiana Jones on the Xbox Series X/S consoles.