Microsoft intends to make its video games free on PCs and consoles

Microsoft is considering a model that offers free access to the Xbox Game Pass service on Xbox consoles and PCs in exchange for watching advertisements. This information was reported by Windows Central, citing the words of Microsoft Gaming's Chief Financial Officer, Tim Stuart.

According to Stuart, such a model might be most relevant for countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, and India, where gamers are not as oriented towards gaming consoles. Stuart suggests that, in these regions, attracting an audience could involve offering access to Xbox Game Pass for two hours of gameplay in exchange for watching a 30-second advertisement.

"You know, in Africa, for example, 50% of the population is people aged 23 and younger, with a growing disposable income and mobile phones. So, we can use our new business model and reach millions of new gamers," Stuart said.

According to Windows Central, Microsoft's hints at such a strategy are not limited to the statements of top management. The company had previously conducted surveys among its audience regarding the free Xbox Game Pass. Moreover, according to insider Title_OS from X (Twitter), the tech giant is already testing a free service, where access time to the game catalog is "earned" in blocks of 15 minutes. However, it is not specified how many seconds of advertising need to be watched to obtain each block.