Recently we’ve talked a lot about Xbox Game Pass and the changes being made to the program to make it more affordable and flexible for gamers around the world. The news doesn’t stop coming however as it has now been leaked that Discord Nitro subscribers are going to be getting access to a new tier of Xbox Game Pass known as the “Starter Edition”, bundled in as part of the $9.99 a month Nitro subscription. Let’s zoom out a little bit and talk about how this got leaked, what it means for Game Pass, and even more tiers coming in the near future.
How it Leaked
This one didn’t come from an insider tip or a slip up on a press release, as instead it came straight out of Discord’s own app. Earlier today on the Discord Previews server, a group dedicated to looking into new app changes and tracking what happens, it was discovered that a new Discord update included a lot of strings about claiming Xbox Game Pass with your subscription.
On it’s own, this wouldn’t seem like much of a leak due to Microsoft having already announced this collaboration, but what made it more interesting was what was included in the strings. Newly added strings didn’t refer to the benefit as Xbox Game Pass Essential, PC, Premium, or Ultimate, but instead described it as a “Starter Edition” instead.
That name hadn’t appeared anywhere publicly before. The existing Game Pass tiers are very well-documented at this point, and in the past we’ve had tiers such as Core Game Pass, but nothing that matched up to “Starter Edition” which made it very clear that this was something entirely new.
What’s in the Starter Edition?
Based on the datamined strings, spotted in the Discord Previews “Build Changes” channel, here’s what Discord Nitro Subscribers will be getting with Game Pass Starter Edition:
- 50+ Titles from the Game Pass Library
- 10 Hours per month of Cloud Streaming
- Up to $25/year in Xbox Rewards Points
Something important to note here is the specific titles mentioned. Starter Edition appears to have some third party and first party titles, with the description flat out stating games like Stardew Valley, Fallout 4, and Grounded are included. The image provided in the post appears to make this list more extensive, including games such as:
- Gears 5
- Hades
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- DOOM Eternal
- Deep Rock Galactic
- Tunic
- Overcooked! 2
- Dishonored 2
and more, just to name a few. Something worth noting here is some previously datamined plans for Xbox Game Pass going under the codename “Triton” and “Duet”. These tiers were reported to originally be a first-party-only tier, meaning you’d only get some Microsoft-published titles but not all of them. By time the Starter Edition showed up in Discord’s code it appears this had changed as now third party titles like Stardew Valley got confirmed to be included. This is honestly a way more meaningful plan from what was originally speculated to release as it gives the opportunity for a far more appetizing bundle that people could pick up at a cheaper price and that Discord Nitro subscribers could get the benefits of because let’s face it, not everyone is going to be a huge fan of Halo or Forza specifically and might like indie titles more!
The 10 hours of cloud streaming per month is deliberately limited compared to what the other tiers of Game Pass offer, but it’s not a nothing burger either. For a Discord user who doesn’t own an Xbox and is unable to purchase a PC that can run some of the newest and hottest games out there, being able to at least dip your toe into the cloud streaming world and try some of those titles out helps make this a low-friction way of getting people into the Microsoft ecosystem.
The Xbox and Discord Relationship Thus Far
This partnership didn’t just appear out of thin air. Xbox and Discord have been building towards something like this for a long while now. Discord voice chat originally came to Xbox consoles back in 2022, and ever since then the two companies have run a series of joint promotions. Just earlier this month Discord was offering a free month of Discord Nitro to those who had Game Pass Ultimate, assuming the user claiming the nitro hadn’t had an active Nitro subscription in the past 3 years. In the past Discord has also given away Game Pass codes to those with an active Nitro subscription.
The Starter Edition of Game Pass flips this relationship on its head entirely. Instead of Game Pass giving you a month of Nitro or Nitro giving you a month of Game Pass you now have a constant collaboration, pushing people into Microsoft’s services without them needing to spend a dime extra. It’s crazy to see how quickly Microsoft is moving with changing up the platform to put the players first, as these leaks for Discord Nitro came out only one day after Asha Sharma, the CEO of Xbox, said the following:
Even More Tiers Coming Soon?
The Starter Edition is the headline of today, but as we have reiterated on this site time and time again the past week alone, it’s part of a bigger reshuffling for Game Pass that appears to be quietly underway at Microsoft. Multiple leaks and reports over recent months seem to have one trend in mine: make Game Pass more flexible and affordable.
The Netflix angle is one to watch closely, as reports surfaced that Netflix’s co-CEO Greg Peters and Asha Sharma have already discussed potential subscription bundles that could be brought to one platform or the other in the near future. A combined gaming and streaming package sitting under the Microsoft and Xbox umbrella would be a significant statement towards turning Game Pass from a gaming service into something that is more of an “Entertainments Pass” for everyone. Other reports also talk about a new “pick your plan” model which would allow subscribers to add or remove specific services like EA Play, Ubisoft Plus, or Fortnite Crew from their tier rather than being locked into a fixed bundle and fixed price.
Only time will tell if any of these reports end up happening, as Microsoft seems to have a lot of complexity built into Game Pass with renames, price changes, shifting benefits in or out of the program, and even more we probably haven’t heard of yet. This can cause a lack of confidence for some, but spark hope for others, seeing Microsoft do more than just talk about change but enacting it fast.
The Bottom Line
For Discord Nitro subscribers who have never touched Game Pass, this is just a complete win. You get 50+ games available at no extra price, the ability to try out cloud streaming without fully committing to it, and no additional price increase on your side. For everyone else, the Starter Edition is a sign that Microsoft is serious about growing Game Pass in new directions and taking it beyond where it currently stands, even if the full picture is still slowly coming into focus.
