Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg
Microsoft Corp. raises the price for subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold, its paid online gaming platform, which increases the cost for a year-round and quickly infuriates users.
The price push brings the cost of a six-month subscription to $ 60. Last year, Microsoft removed the option for a full-year subscription at the price from the online store. The cost of a monthly subscription also increased, increasing by 10% to $ 11.
The move pushes the price of Xbox Live Gold closer to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a more expensive subscription that also gives access to games and other benefits. At $ 15 a month, or $ 180 a year, Game Pass Ultimate is now only $ 60 more expensive than a year of Xbox Live Gold.
Game Pass has become central to Microsoft’s loyalty strategy with the recent release of the Xbox series X comfort. But gamers were furious that Microsoft would increase the cost of a subscription so drastically, especially during the pandemic, when people spent more time on screens than usual and unemployment increased. Users have expressed frustration online and often compare subscription costs with PlayStation Plus from Sony Corp, which costs $ 60 a year.
On Twitter, where the topic was one of the most popular topics on Friday, a player named Zay said ‘Xbox users must sell their Xbox just so they can get Xbox live gold. ”
One user said Microsoft is not in touch with its community and economic reality.
To justify the move, Microsoft said the price of Xbox Live Gold “has not changed for years and in some markets it has not changed for more than ten years.”
There is no price change for existing Xbox Live Gold members of six months or 12 months.