Microsoft currently offers free access to fortnite on its Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) service, but there are signs that the company could offer free game streaming in exchange for ads. Microsoft Gaming CFO Tim Stuart hinted at this prospect in a Wells Fargo TMT Summit interview at the end of last month, discovered by TweakTown.
“The vision I like to talk about is that we have xCloud game streaming, so you can subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate and stream hundreds of games to any device that has a browser experience,” Stuart explained. “For models like Africa, India or Southeast Asia, maybe in places where consoles are not used first, you can say, 'Hey, do you want to watch 30 seconds of an ad and then watch two hours of game streaming?'”
Stuart's comment makes it clear that this is something Microsoft has been looking at for certain regions, and Xbox Cloud Gaming will have expanded to new markets throughout 2022. An ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming could do well in markets where phone ownership is much higher. than traditional consoles or gaming PCs.
However, Microsoft has experimented with Xbox Cloud Gaming in the past. You can play fortnite free on the service, with just a Microsoft account. However, this free access has not yet been expanded to other games. It has been successful in commercializing cloud gaming, as Microsoft revealed last year that more than 20 million people have streamed games using Xbox Cloud Gaming, powered by the fortnite addition.
