Microsoft employees will keep their free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate perk after all [Update]

Update - November 3, 2023 - The Verge reports that, thanks to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, Microsoft has reversed its plan to do away with the free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate perk for most of its employees. They will continue to get access to that service for free.

Original story - One of the nice perks of being a Microsoft full-time employee was that you got free access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Now a new report claims that the freebie is going away soon for most of Microsoft's workforce.

The Verge reports, via unnamed sources, that Microsoft started informing its employees that most of them will not be able to get access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for free starting in January 2024. Microsoft team members who work directly in the Xbox and Microsoft Gaming division will reportedly still get that freebie. However, the rest of the company's workforce will have to settle for buying a discount for a 12-month subscription to the service,

The report claims that many of Microsoft's employees have expressed their displeasure over this move via the company's internal forums. Reportedly, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has responded to some of these messages, stating that he was unaware of this decision and will look into this move.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate recently got a price hike from $14.99 to $16.99 a month. It's possible some of the bean counters at Microsoft felt that the company could save some money by getting rid of this perk and instead offering a discount for the employee. There's no word on how much of a discount will be offered to Microsoft team members.

Assuming this decision will stand, it shows that Microsoft, like a lot of other tech companies, might not be offering as many employee perks as they have done in the past. Even though the company posted solid financial numbers for its latest fiscal quarter just a few days ago, it might still believe that it needs to keep its expenses as tight as possible with the current global economic situation. Hopefully we will get more info on this story very soon.