Leak: Xbox rumored to announce a new Game Pass tier with only first-party games

A new leak points to a cheaper Game Pass option that could be a ray of hope for Xbox gamers amid rising gaming costs. The possible new tier would focus exclusively on first-party titles, with games such as Halo 5, Fallout 76, and DOOM Eternal potentially included. This comes on the heels of recent price hikes on the existing Game Pass tiers, which have pushed many users away from the subscription. Microsoft may be looking to change that.

According to a data mining leak from @redphx on X, Microsoft is reportedly working on a new program codenamed "TRION" or "TRITON." What sets it apart from existing tiers is that it would include only games from Xbox Game Studios, rather than the mixed catalog available now. Here's the full list of titles in the leaked Game Pass tier:

• DOOM Eternal
• Dishonored 2
• Fable Anniversary
• Fallout 4, Fallout 76
• Gears 5
• Halo 5, Halo Wars 2
• Hellblade
• Ori 1
• State Of Decay 2
• The Elder Scrolls Online

The new tier is likely targeting Xbox gamers who are only interested in its first-party titles, since many have been asking for such a program for a long time. The exact pricing for this leaked Game Pass tier also remains unknown, but many believe Microsoft could introduce it as an ad-supported or low-cost subscription. Since a first-party only approach theoretically eliminates licensing costs, it could allow Microsoft to offer the tier at a price point that works for casual players.

While this is just a leak for now, recent rumours suggest that Xbox has already been considering reintroducing lower-priced options for players. Those rumors appear to stem from new CEO Asha Sharma's stated goal of making future consoles and products like Game Pass more enticing.

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Sharma has already shown she is willing to tackle the company's questionable decisions head-on, with the killing of the This is an Xbox marketing campaign being her first move after joining the company. That said, whether this first-party Game Pass tier is actually how Microsoft plans to make Game Pass more enticing remains to be seen.