Yesterday, Microsoft announced some changes for Xbox Game Pass, which involve rebranding of its tiers with its new Essential, Premium, and Ultimate plans. These changes, *sigh*, lead to yet another price increase. I say another increase as Microsoft has 2x the price of its Game Pass Ultimate subscription in the span of 15 months, and is double the price of Sony’s PlayStation Plus Premium, which is currently $160 for the year.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is increasing from $20 a month to $30 a month, Game Pass Premium will be priced at the same at $15 per month, Game Pass Essential will be priced at the same $10 monthly price of the existing Core subscription, and Microsoft is also increasing the price of its PC Game Pass subscription today, upping it from $12 a month to $16.50 monthly.
However, the revised tiers will add more games to their libraries, which are available on both PC and Xbox. Also, Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming out of beta, will be exclusive to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, and adds 1440p resolution and improvements on select games on select devices. And lastly, its rewards program gets a much-needed update as subscribers can earn money just by playing games.
Current Game Pass Core and Standard members will automatically upgrade to the new Essential and Premium plans. Existing Game Pass subscribers will see the new prices take effect at the next billing cycle, while new subscribers will see the new prices immediately.
Add this with the news of price increase for its Xbox Series S and X, and game delays, and it seems like Microsoft appears to be intentionally sabotaging its Xbox brand. As if Xbox users needed another reason to part ways with the gaming platform, as opposed to adding reasons to stick around. Is this the last straw for Xbox gamers?
