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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 pass and prompting outrage from users.
The price hike brings the cost of a six-month subscription to $ 60. Microsoft last year removed the full year subscription option at this price from the online store. The cost of a monthly subscription has also increased from 10% to $ 11.
The move brings the price of Xbox Live Gold closer to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a more expensive membership that also grants access to games and other perks. At $ 15 per month, or $ 180 per year, Game Pass Ultimate now costs just $ 60 more than a year of Xbox Live Gold.
Game Pass has become a central part of Microsoft’s strategy to attract loyalty with the recent release of the Xbox series. X console. But gamers were outraged that Microsoft was raising the cost of a subscription so drastically, especially during the pandemic, when people were spending more time on screens than usual and unemployment rose. Users have expressed frustration online, often comparing the cost of subscribing to Sony Corp.’s PlayStation Plus, which costs $ 60 per year.
On Twitter, where the topic was one of the hottest 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 was out of touch with its community and economic reality.
By justifying the move, Microsoft said that the price of Xbox Live Gold “hasn’t changed in years and in some markets it hasn’t changed for over 10 years.”
There is no price change for existing six or 12 month Xbox Live Gold members.
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