Microsoft employees aren’t happy about missing 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 so edges The company began informing employees this week that in January 2024, the free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate feature will no longer be available to permanent Microsoft employees.

I understand that Xbox employees will retain the benefit, but for most Microsoft employees who are not part of Xbox/Microsoft gaming, the benefit will go away next year. Microsoft employees can purchase a 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, saying he was unaware of the changes and was reviewing 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 removed employee benefits months after Xbox Game Pass prices went up for the first time. Microsoft has increased Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $14.99 to $16.99 per month, with the price increase for the Xbox series Microsoft introduced Xbox Game Pass Core in September as a replacement for Xbox Live Gold.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer warned more than a year ago that Xbox Game Pass growth on consoles would slow as Microsoft increased its focus on PC Game Pass through 2023. Microsoft hasn’t provided updated Game Pass subscriber numbers in nearly two years.

According to Microsoft, the number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers reached 25 million subscribers in January 2022, but we haven’t received any updates since then – even… Starenfeld, Forza MotorsportAnd many other games contributed to Game Pass throughout 2023.