UPDATE: Microsoft have announced they are reversing this decision.
Today was not great. We always try to do our best for you and today we missed the mark.
We hear you, and we’re reversing our Xbox Live Gold pricing updates.
— Xbox (@Xbox) January 23, 2021
ORIGINAL STORY: Microsoft have announced that they’re hiking the prices of Xbox Live Gold subscriptions, meaning you’ll have to spend more money if you want to carry on playing “free-to-play” titles on Xbox.
Alright, What’s The Damage?
In the post on the Xbox Wire website, the Xbox Live Gold team revealed that the cost of 1 month of Xbox Live Gold will be going by $1 to $10.99, while the price of a 3 month membership will go by $5 to $29.99. The price for a 6 month subscription will be $59.99, meaning that it costs nearly $120 for a year of Xbox Live.
In fairness to Xbox, current subscribers to 6 or 12 month subscriptions will remain at the same price for the remainder of their subscription, and if you choose to renew, it’ll remain at the current price. Still, this price hike is a bitter pill to swallow for many.
Why Is The Price Going Up?
In the post, Xbox claim that they “assess the value and pricing of our services to reflect changes in regional marketplaces and to continue to invest in the Xbox community”. While there’s definitely some truth to that, many have already noted that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate only costs $4 more than the new Xbox Live Gold price, and includes Game Pass, Game Pass for PC, EA Play along with various perks for different games. There’s no confirmation that’s what Xbox’s intentions are with this price increase, but I’ll be shocked if that’s not the result either way.
READ MORE: 8 Games Coming To Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Including Yakuza 3-5
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