Xbox Game Pass stops $1 trial offer and is currently "evaluating different promotions" for new subscribers

Xbox Game Pass has finally halted the all-too-familiar $1 trial offer. Encouraging new subscribers to try out the service (generally priced at $10 and up) at just a dollar for the first month was crucial in boosting Game Pass' player count and the Day 1 launches. With this offer coming to an end, leading up to the launch of Arkane Studios' Redfall, it will certainly be interesting to see how subscriber growth is affected.

First introduced over half a decade ago, Xbox Game Pass paved the way for the modern generation of subscription-based services in the gaming industry. Often regarded as the "Netflix for games" in its early days, Game Pass set the precedent for various factors, such as Day 1 launches for all first-party games and several third-party titles, ranging from blockbuster AAAs to indie darlings.

Furthermore, the Game Pass was integral to the growth of modern cloud gaming, offering Game Pass Ultimate players the opportunity to experience xCloud, which was later renamed Xbox Cloud Gaming. The $1 trial offer for the first month and Day 1 launches allowed a more extensive player base to get in and experience titles they might not have been sold on.

With multiple factors like the upcoming Game Pass Friends & Family plan and the looming Activision acquisition underway, it's currently anyone's guess what new promotion might be coming their way.

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Microsoft is evaluating new promotions to attract Xbox Game Pass subscribers as the service expands to more countries

While the fan-favorite $1 trial offer ending abruptly might be seen as a loss for potential new subscribers, Xbox is already looking at new promotions as the service expands to more countries.

In a statement to The Verge confirming the closure, Kari Perez, Head of Global Gaming Communications at Xbox, said:

"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."

Following its introduction in Ireland, Xbox expanded the Game Pass Friends & Family plan to new regions, including New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Hungary, Israel, and Sweden. However, this plan isn't available in the US, UK, or many major European markets.

With the PC version of Game Pass recently expanding to 40 new markets, Xbox Game Pass is currently available in over 86 countries in some capacity or the other.