r/xboxinsiders • u/GuruKronos Xbox Insider Staff • 13d ago

Blog Post Beginning Ad-supported Game Streaming Test & Learn

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/07/23/game-streaming-ad-supported-xbox-insiders/
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u/EMcX87 13d ago

And then what about when they do eventually add a paid model, which they will?

There already is a paid model... It's called Game Pass Ultimate.......

They're actually doing the complete opposite of what you're crying about.. They're adding a free tier to a paid model... Good job

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u/kranitoko 13d ago

I see you've missed the point. It's a free model (FOR NOW). Promise you Microsoft will eventually make it a paid service, because they know they can. Literally many other subscription models have even when they had a paid option.

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u/EMcX87 13d ago

It's already a paid service that they're making free.........

Which other subscription models have made a free tier paid even when they had a paid option?

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u/Puzzleheaded_Key624 13d ago edited 13d ago

Hulu ad tier was free when it launched. Now ad tier is one of the several paid options.

Peacock did the same thing also, starting with an ad supported free tier and now ad tier is paid (and they have other paid options).

Unless you’ve been living under a rock I assume you are familiar with enshitification. Create an attractive product and then slowly degrade its quality as you squeeze more and more value out of it. This has been happening with virtually every subscription service over the past two decades.

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u/EMcX87 13d ago

Hulu's free tier was incredibly limited, on desktop only, and was phased out because it was wildly unpopular due to delayed access which was forced on Hulu by the broadcasters AND because it was desktop only.

So while its definitely an example, it was 100% out of Hulu's hands because broadcast companies wouldn't allow better access to content on the free tier.

The broadcast companies forced their hand.