Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg
Microsoft Corp. increases the price of subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold, its paid online gaming platform, doubling the cost of an annual subscription and causing rapid outrage from users.
The price increase brings the cost of a six-month subscription to $ 60. Last year, Microsoft removed the option for a year-round subscription at that price from the online store. The cost for a monthly subscription also increased by 10% to $ 11.
The move pushes the price of Xbox Live Gold closer to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a more expensive subscription that also offers access to games and other perks. At $ 15 a month or $ 180 a year, the Game Pass Ultimate is now just $ 60 more expensive than a year-old Xbox Live Gold.
Game Pass has become key to Microsoft’s loyalty strategy with the recent release of the Xbox Series X console. But gamers have been outraged that Microsoft will increase the cost of such a subscription so drastically, especially during the pandemic, when people spent more time on screens than usual and unemployment rose. Users have expressed frustration online, often comparing the cost of the subscription with PlayStation Plus from Sony Corp., which is $ 60 a year.
On Twitter, where the topic was one of the most important topics on Friday, a player named Zay said “Xbox users need to sell their Xbox just so he can get Xbox live gold. ”
One user said that Microsoft has nothing to do with its community and economic reality.
In justifying the move, Microsoft said the price of Xbox Live Gold “hasn’t changed in years, and in some markets it hasn’t changed in over 10 years.”
There is no price change for existing Xbox Live Gold members for six or 12 months.