Microsoft employees aren’t happy about losing out on free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Microsoft is removing the free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate feature for most of its 238,000 employees and some of them are unhappy about it. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans say the edge The company began informing employees this week that in January 2024, the free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate feature for permanent Microsoft employees will no longer be available.

I understand that Xbox employees will continue to retain the benefit, but the vast majority of Microsoft employees who are not part of Xbox/Microsoft Gaming will see the benefit disappear next year. Microsoft employees will be able to purchase a discounted 12-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription from the company’s internal store.

Some Microsoft employees took to the company’s internal messaging platform to voice their objections to the feature’s removal. The employee posts even prompted Xbox CEO Phil Spencer to respond, stating that he was not aware of the changes and was looking into the situation.

We reached out to Microsoft for comment on the Game Pass removal, but the company did not respond in time for publication.

Microsoft’s removal of employee benefits comes months after Xbox Game Pass prices rose for the first time. Microsoft has moved Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $14.99 per month to $16.99, along with price increases for the Xbox Series Microsoft also launched Xbox Game Pass Core in September to replace Xbox Live Gold.

Xbox head Phil Spencer warned more than a year ago that Xbox Game Pass growth on console would slow, with Microsoft opting to focus more on PC Game Pass throughout 2023. Microsoft hasn’t provided updated Game Pass subscriber numbers for nearly two years now.

Microsoft said the number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers increased to 25 million subscribers in January 2022, but we haven’t received an update since then – even with… Starfield, Forza MotorsportAnd many other games have contributed to Game Pass throughout 2023.