Last week, Xbox announced that it would introduce up-to-date Game Pass tiers and raise subscription prices for current members on September 12. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) challenged the changes in a brief filed yesterday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
In case you missed it, Microsoft has revealed a up-to-date level called Xbox Game Pass Standard Subscription$15 monthly subscription for up-to-date members, which does not include launch day game releases, EA Play, PC Game Pass, or cloud gaming. Xbox Game Pass Ultimatewhich includes these benefits, the monthly price will raise from $17 to $20. Xbox Game Pass Basicoffering only online gameplay and a smaller library, is raising its annual subscription fee from $60 to $75 (the $10 monthly fee remains unchanged). PC Game Pass increases from $10 to $12 per month.
Extra $10.99 Game Pass for Console will no longer be available to up-to-date subscribers as of July 10. If current subscribers do not renew their membership, they will be permanently excluded from this tier and will have to sign up for a different, more exorbitant membership.
In sawingThe FTC is harshly critical of Microsoft’s discontinuation of Game Pass for Console, stating that users must pay a significant price raise (81%) to upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate. Those who do not wish to do so must settle for Game Pass Standard, which the FTC describes as a “downgraded product” because it excludes day-one releases.
The FTC was the biggest opponent of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard and sees the move as evidence of concerns about the purchase.
The last part refers to the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (the first up-to-date installment released after the acquisition), which took place on October 25 as part of the Game Pass Ultimate service, approximately one month after the subscription price raise.
