Starfield release coincides with major Xbox Game Pass downgrade

Is anyone not talking about Starfield right now? There’s still a few weeks to go before it’s released in September, yet that doesn’t stop the hype train from speeding along.

Don't forget to watch the official Starfield trailer!

From finding out there’s scary aliens similar to Deathclaws, to free download available for a limited time period, the game is on everyone’s minds. And for the most part, all related content is positive. However, there's a slight hurdle to our collective Starfield fuelled joy that we weren’t expecting: an Xbox Game Pass downgrade.

Previously, the $1 Game Pass trial for new users would last a month. Let’s put that into perspective: new users get access to games like GTA 5, The Cave, Bramble, and so many other good titles for an entire month. With the cost priced at less than a coffee.

It’s been an amazing ride, and one many of us will look back on fondly after the news that the new user trial will now only last 14 days.

We know two week’s worth of gaming for such a small fee is the epitome of first world problems, but let’s consider how difficult it is to play all those incredible games in such a short window of time. A month isn’t enough, so 14 days feels almost insulting.

As with any major updates that hit the video gaming community, Reddit has a lot to say on the matter. There’s the polite disappointment posts, like one user who simply said, “Well, that’s a bit silly.” As well as the more… heated… responses, like the user who posted: “Sh*t just keeps on getting worse, huh?”

The thing is, while it’s disappointing news, some Xbox Game Pass users have been “abusing” the system, creating multiple accounts in order to get more out of the trial. Consequently, a lot of people suspect that’s why Xbox has finally taken a stand and changed the rules.

“I took advantage of that dollar a month thing, real talk,” shares one Redditor. “But what I find interesting is that Microsoft kind of let this stuff happen. Whether it's the $1 to join trick or the Xbox live Gold conversion trick, they just let it happen.”

However, there’s something to be said about the fact that Starfield comes out soon; a lot of users intending to use their Game Pass to test it out will now have to pay if they want to continue the game.

The reasons for the Xbox Game Pass change is unclear – it could be due to people playing the system, it could be because the Starfield launch is imminent. Whatever the reason, we must all accept our fate, while bitterly remembering that we don’t realise what we have until it’s gone.

Starfield will be available from 6 September 2023.