Top line
The price increases are aimed at Xbox Game Pass users along with the inclusion of a new tier for the subscription service, creating key price differences between Xbox and rival gaming platform PlayStation, which mark the latest price hike amid increasingly expensive subscription plans in the entertainment industry.
Existing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users will start paying the increased fee this September. (Picture from … [+]
Key facts
Xbox Game Pass, which allows users to play online and gives different levels of offers, discounts and downloads on video games, will see price increases for its most expensive “ultimate” tier, its cheapest “core” tier and for its PC Game Pass starting Wednesday for new subscribers and in September for existing subscribers, according to a post on the company’s blog.
The monthly price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will jump from $16.99 per month to $19.99 per month, PC Game Pass will increase from $9.99 to $11.99, and Xbox Game Pass Core will remain at $9.99 per month, but is rising from $59.99 to $74.99 per year for annual plans, according to multiple outlets.
A new middle tier, Xbox Game Pass Standard, will be available to players in the near future at $14.99 per month, though it won’t include access to Day One titles — the ability to pre-install select video games and play them on the day they release without having to buy them directly.
PlayStation Plus Premium, PlayStation’s $17.99-a-month equivalent of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, will be the cheaper of the two subscription services after the price hike, giving it a $2-a-month advantage over Xbox’s most expensive tier.
The mid- and low-tier subscription plans for Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus will cost players the same.
Existing users of the Xbox Game Pass console plan, which is essentially being replaced by the new $14.99 per month standard tier, will be able to keep their $11 per month subscription and access to games from day one.
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Tangent
Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, objected to the price increases and changes to the Xbox Game Pass tier system, specifically criticizing Microsoft for removing Day One games from the mid-tier and making pre-launch subscription changes of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in October, which will be available to play as a title from day one. The long-awaited first-person shooter will be available as a day-one title for PC Game Pass users, existing Xbox Game Pass console users, and those willing to pay above the updated $19.99 per month for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. New users of Xbox Game Pass Core and the upcoming Xbox Game Pass Standard won’t have access to day one titles, but day one titles like Black Ops 6 and Xbox exclusive games may serve as an incentive to upgrade to Ultimate despite the price jump .
Key background
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers make up the majority of Game Pass users, according to The Verge, the Game Pass service overall had 34 million subscribers as of February, and has previously been lauded as a means of accessing a library of video games both old and new. and new ones without having to buy each one. Game Pass prices rose for the first time last year when the Ultimate tier moved from $14.99 to $16.99 per month and the Core plan jumped from $9.99 to $10.99. PlayStation Plus users also suffered their own price hike last year, with annual plan prices jumping. Subscription price increases have also spread across the entertainment industry in music, movie and TV streaming services. Music streamer Spotify has increased prices for its plans from $1 to $3 for various tiers. Movie and TV streamers such as Netflix, Amazon and Apple TV have introduced increased costs for their services over the past year.
More information
Microsoft cripples Xbox Game Pass concept with new day-one launch restrictions (Forbes)
Microsoft Raises Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price and Launches New ‘Standard’ Tier (The Verge)
