The success of Xbox Game Pass is something that, today, no longer supports discussion. The subscription service proposal that, for a monthly fee, provides access to a wide and varied catalog of games, has been confirmed as an option that many users expected. And the main proof of this is that, from the moment of its launch, we have been able to see how its numbers have not stopped growing, both in subscribers and in included games.
The last big blow in this regard has been, of course, the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but beyond operations of this size, the key to the success of Xbox Game Pass is that the catalog is updated monthly, with a selection of titles that They range from triple A releases to notable independent productions, which try not to neglect any genre. The list grows monthly not only in quantity, but also in variety.
However, not everything is perfect in the service, and as a consequence, the corresponding mechanisms are activated. In some cases this depends on the users themselves, while in others it is other companies and organizations that act. And this has been the case in the United Kingdom, where the market and competition regulator has pushed Microsoft to apply certain changes to Xbox Game Pass. Some changes that will come first to the United Kingdom, but that will probably end up spreading to other geographies, and could even become global.
The changes will affect, first of all, the information provided to users when they subscribe for the first time to Xbox Game Pass. Specifically, Microsoft will emphasize the clarification that, by default, the subscription is automatically renewed every month, unless the user deactivates this function. In addition, the user must be informed about the renewal date, its cost and, this is a very important point, the steps that the user must take if the renewal has occurred by mistake and, therefore, they want to cancel it. and receive a refund.
For annual subscriptions to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft will have to offer users the possibility to terminate their subscription beforehand, and to claim a refund proportional to the subscription time they do not want to use. In addition, if Microsoft increases the price of the service, it must clearly inform you in advance and provide, together with said information, the necessary means for the user to deactivate the automatic renewal.
But the most interesting thing, without a doubt, has to do with inactive subscriptions, that is, those that continue to be paid but are not used. In such a case, Microsoft must communicate with users reminding them of their subscription, for those cases in which they may have forgotten it. In these cases, you must also remind them how to cancel the automatic renewal and, if in spite of this there is no change, the company must cancel the charges for the subscription to Xbox Game Pass.