According to foreign media reports, it may become easier and cheaper to provide XGP for the whole family, as Microsoft plans to launch a five-person homegroup option later this year.
Windows Central earlier reported that after spending nearly a year planning and figuring out the details, Microsoft was ready to announce and launch a family plan for the Game Pass. The new plan will reportedly include up to five people in the same country and region, including team leaders. Members of the Family Plan will have full access to the entire Game Pass library.
The plan will reportedly be "much cheaper" than buying five separate XGP subscriptions. Currently, a single XGPU plan costs $15 (about 95 yuan) per month. But the actual pricing for the "family plan" has not yet been announced.
According to Windows Central sources, the new plan will use Microsoft's existing "household account system," which Office 365 already uses.
No specific date was given in the report, but Microsoft appears to be planning to launch the XGP Family Program "sometime this year" as they have figured out various details, including how to work with third-party companies and the royalties paid to developers and publishers.
Kotaku consulted Microsoft on the matter, and a Microsoft spokesperson responded: "We are always looking for ways to improve the XGP experience and add more value to our members, including regular testing and improved features based on community feedback." However, we have nothing to announce at the moment. ”
Sony, meanwhile, recently announced its own subscription-based plans, which will be launched sometime this year. It should be noted that Sony's exclusive large-scale games will not join Sony's subscription system when they are launched, while Microsoft's XGP/PGP will be added when the first-party large-scale games are launched.