Bad news on the horizon for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. A discreet change, spotted in the xCloud website code, suggests that a new price increase could be coming very soon. And this time, the clue is pretty clear: a line called SubscriptionPriceIncrease has been added, and its name leaves no room for doubt.
A subscription that is getting more and more expensive for the Xbox Game Pass
The Xbox Game Pass already saw a price increase in September 2024. The PC Game Pass subscription went from €9.99 to €11.99 per month. The Ultimate plan, which includes console, PC, cloud, and EA Play, had increased from €14.99 to €17.99. Even the Xbox Game Pass Core, equivalent to Xbox Live Gold, had been affected: its annual price had increased from €59.99 to €69.99. This new potential change is therefore part of a dynamic that has been underway for several months.
With ever more ambitious games to produce, and development costs constantly rising, Microsoft seems to want to adjust its prices to stay in line with market developments. The Xbox Game Pass continues to integrate major titles as soon as they are released, even exclusives, which represents a huge investment for the company. For many, the service remains attractive, but with successive price increases, the question of value for money is increasingly common.
A trend that affects the entire industry
Microsoft and its Xbox Game Pass are not alone in this field. Sony also recently discussed its pricing policy for PlayStation Plus. During a conference, the Japanese company confirmed that prices will continue to evolve, particularly because players are increasingly turning to the most expensive plans. In short, the entire market is moving towards more expensive subscriptions, but also more segmented ones. According to several leaks, Microsoft is also considering a new Game Pass plan dedicated solely to cloud gaming. This version would be less expensive than the Ultimate subscription, but would not allow games to be installed locally. A logical strategy, especially at a time when the cloud is taking up more and more space in the Xbox ecosystem.
Source: redphx
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