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Microsoft had plans for a family tier of Xbox Game Pass, and it was actually in testing. EA is largely to blame here.
A Plan That Almost Made It
Xbox Game Pass family tier would’ve given up to four users access to the Game Pass library under a single subscription. Microsoft even rolled it out in Ireland and Colombia as a test, before quietly shelving the whole thing.
Corden, writing about the top 20 requests on Xbox’s new community feedback portal, was clear that the cancellation “wasn’t actually Microsoft’s fault.”
EA’s Role in the Fallout
He was told EA “fully hated the idea.” That’s significant, given how deeply tied the publisher is to Xbox Game Pass, subscribers currently get an EA Play membership bundled in, bringing major titles to the platform, albeit often well after their initial release.
Corden also described EA’s wider involvement with the service as doing “the absolute bare minimum,” reportedly refusing to provide Xbox PC native versions with Play Anywhere support or Xbox Achievements.
The community has been vocal. Calls for a family plan are among the most popular requests on Xbox’s feedback portal, sitting alongside asks for completionist Achievements and the return of Xbox Avatars.
Whether that pressure is enough to revive the plan or whether EA’s opposition has put them to bed for good, remains to be seen.
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