Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg
Microsoft Corp. it raises the price of subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold, its online paid gaming platform, doubling the cost of an annual subscription and causing rapid outrage from users.
The price hike makes the cost of a six-month subscription $ 60. Last year, Microsoft removed from the online store the option of a full-year subscription at that price. The cost of a monthly subscription also rose, rising 10% to $ 11.
The move brings the price of Xbox Live Gold closer to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a more expensive subscription that also gives access to games and other perks. With $ 15 a month, or $ 180 a year, Game Pass Ultimate now only costs $ 60 more than a year of Xbox Live Gold.
Game Pass has become a central element of Microsoft’s strategy to attract loyalty with the recent release of the Xbox Series X console. But gamers were outraged that Microsoft increased the cost of a subscription so drastically, especially during the pandemic, when people have spent more time on screens than usual and unemployment has risen. Users expressed their frustration online, often comparing the cost of the subscription with Sony Corp. PlayStation Plus, 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 live gold from Xbox “.
One user said that Microsoft is out of touch with their community and economic reality.
To justify the move, Microsoft said the price of Xbox Live Gold “hasn’t changed in years, and in some markets it hasn’t changed in more than a decade.”
There are no price changes for existing Xbox Live Gold members for six or 12 months.