Is Game Pass Enshittifying?

As someone who doesn't consume any Microsoft services at all, and hasn't for quite a long time, I nonetheless concede that Game Pass represents solid value if you accept the fact you don't own anything. For some people that fact is fine, for others it isn't. Heck, you don't really own any game you purchase, whether that be a physical purchase or via a storefront like Steam.

I've subscribed to Game Pass in the past, and I got plenty of use out of it. But it was also a lot cheaper back in the day when I was subscribed. The latest price hike up to $29.99 USD almost feels like a bit of a rug pull. It's been over eight years since Microsoft first launched the service - and I'm sure there's some people who now rely on it almost exclusively for their library.

These people can't just cancel the service now that the price has significantly increased - if they did so, they'd be left with next to no games library at all, and would need essentially start from scratch. It's not really lock in, but it sort of is.

They've also sneakily removed the small discount members received for purchasing DLC. So not only are they now paying more for the service itself, they're also paying more for general purchases on the store as well.

Microsoft appear to be stepping fairly quickly away from the hardware game, as evidenced both by statements made by staff members in the Xbox business, as well as their decision to effectively outsource the development of the Xbox handheld to Asus.

The decision subscribers now need to make is whether or not the asking price is worth the lack of ownership they have of anything they play on the service, and weigh up the risks of another large scale price increase in the future.