Update 2: Well, that didn’t last long. In less than 24 hours, Microsoft reversed its decision to increase the price of Xbox Live Gold, announcing that it will keep the annual price of GBP 49.99 / USD 59.99 of the subscription. Moreover, the online pay screen for free games has now been removed, bringing it in line with PS Plus.
Good news for Xbox owners, then, but you have to wonder how this decision came out of the boardroom.
Update 1: Just a quick update of this story, Microsoft has now confirmed that six months of Xbox Live Gold will cost GBP 42.99 in the UK. A 12-month PS Plus subscription currently costs £ 49.99.
Original story: Hopefully Microsoft’s new Xbox Live Gold pricing scheme hasn’t given Sony any ideas since Playstation plus it currently appears to be a theft compared to the team in Green’s revised price structure. If you remove Xbox Game Pass from the conversation, we’ll argue that Sony’s main subscription level has been much higher than its nearest competitor in terms of monthly games for a while – and it’s now available at half price!
It currently costs $ 59.99 to subscribe to PS Plus for 12 months, but according to some rumors, Microsoft has revealed that it will now charge $ 59.99 only for six months of service. This, it seems, will only apply to new or expired subscribers; the wording is awkward, but it looks like those with a recurring 12-month subscription will continue to pay the previous price of $ 59.99 for a year.
Of course, there is a much broader discussion here about how Redmond is actually raising prices to increase the value of its Game Pass Ultimate option. However, it is worth remembering that a large number of players are really interested in playing titles like FIFA 21 and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and now they will have to pay twice the price to do so with Xbox Live Gold compared to PS Plus.
It’s also worth adding that, at the time of writing, free titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone don’t require a PS Plus subscription on PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5, where Xbox gamers will have to withdraw $ 120 to enjoy these titles online, unless the company changes its policies. Not to mention the additional benefits, such as PS Plus Collection, which really adds to the value of Sony’s service.
Of course, it is perfectly possible for the Japanese giant to look at this price increase and believe that it can escape with a similar increase. Hopefully not, although we think the PS Plus is as good as it is now, we’re not sure we’d want to pay these Xbox Live Gold prices – especially when Sony doesn’t have a compelling alternative to the Ultimate Game Pass.