Xbox Game Pass à la carte: Players may soon build their own subscription

According to Fortune, citing sources reportedly familiar with Microsoft's strategy, Xbox boss Asha Sharma is planning what would essentially be an à-la-carte system for Game Pass, allowing subscribers to choose which services they want to use. The report mentions access to console games, cloud gaming and multiplayer as potential add-ons. Such a change could bring both advantages and disadvantages for subscribers.

On the one hand, the new model could make Game Pass much more customizable, ensuring that users only pay for services they actually use. Those who prefer installing their games locally, for example, could simply skip cloud gaming. However, if several features that are currently bundled together become separate paid add-ons, the total cost of a fully featured Game Pass subscription could end up being higher than it is today. For users, such a model would likely only be appealing if the additional flexibility resulted in genuine savings.

The report doesn't come entirely out of nowhere. Back in April, Windows Central reported that Microsoft was considering a "pick your own plan" model. At the time, it was described as a longer-term goal that would allow subscribers to select their own content and features. Both then and now, however, these plans remain nothing more than rumors. Microsoft has yet to officially confirm anything of the sort. On Reddit, the concept has received a mixed response. Some users like the idea of paying only for the features they actually need. Others fear that Microsoft could simply remove features from existing subscriptions and start selling them as paid extras.