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

sportskeeda.com:

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.

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:

Following its introduction in Ireland, Xbox expanded the Game Pass Friends &