In a move that could increase costs by up to 25 percent, Microsoft has announced a hefty price hike for its Xbox Game Pass, a video game subscription service a la Netflix.
It comes as the tech behemoth paid a record $69 billion to acquire game company Activision Blizzard in 2023.
The new pricing structure will see the monthly cost of PC Game Pass rise from £2 to £9.99, and the monthly cost of the premium subscription, Game Pass Ultimate, will also rise from £2 to £14.99. Microsoft is making a major change to its Xbox console subscription tier in September. Instead of allowing users access to new games on launch day, they will now be required to subscribe to GamePass Ultimate.
After Microsoft’s announcement in May that Game Pass users would get instant access to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the price hike has come. The traditional gaming industry model, which has traditionally depended on the sale of physical game copies, is seen to be affected by this approach.
Similar to Sony’s PlayStation Plus service, GamePass enables monthly access to a collection of hundreds of titles for console and PC users. Unlike streaming services, Game Pass lets users download games to play offline. Worldwide, the service has about 34 million users, all of whom will now pay more for their subscriptions. Complete details of prices you can see by clinking on this link.
The updated price for USA subscribers is as follows:
Game Pass Ultimate: The yearly cost has increased from $19.99.
PC Game Pass: The yearly cost has increased from $11.99.
Game Pass Cover: The annual cost will increase from $74.99.
While new subscribers will experience the changes immediately, existing members with regular payments will start seeing the new rates in September. Xbox users with a Basic subscription will still be able to play hundreds of games until their subscription expires, but they won’t be able to play select newly released games and some exclusive games only available to Ultimate subscribers.
Microsoft has suggested that “certain games” that were initially only available on GamePass Ultimate will eventually be extended to regular memberships. However, GamePass Ultimate is now more expensive than Sony’s PlayStation Plus Premium, which costs £13.49 a month in the UK due to price increases.
Industry observers speculate that the choice to release Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on Game Pass is likely related to price increases and pressure on console owners to upgrade to a more expensive tier. Previously, some have doubted Microsoft’s ability to sustain this vision. Christopher Dring of GamesIndustry.biz speculated that the corporation would “introduce advanced levels of Game Pass or other monetization techniques” to cover its costs.
Microsoft’s game strategy still relies heavily on the Call of Duty franchise, which has made tens of billions of dollars and sold more than 425 million copies.
Ada Spark is a tech explorer and creative content creator with 6+ years of experience. Appreciate teamwork and creative strategies to promote content. Always looking to work according to the latest trends and create content that makes a difference. Also familiar with infographics and other forms of content.
