Generally speaking, if something seems too good to be true, it’s because it won’t last long. That was the feeling of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription, which made the launch of the Xbox Series X/S seem like a great deal. There was this incredible library of premiere titles published by Microsoft that you could access for just ten bucks a month.
Since then, prices have been rising, albeit at the same time as massive international financial problems have occurred in the wake of the covid pandemic. In 2023 Game Pass for the console has increased to $11while the Ultimate version, which also gives you access to PC games, has increased by two dollars to $16.99. Which still seemed like a pretty decent deal, and despite rumors of a raise coinciding with Microsoft’s scandalous $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, it was actually a slightly below-inflation augment.
But then came 2024. IIn July, Game Pass Ultimate was revealed rose from $17 to $20, which was an 18 percent augment and is now well above inflation. But worse – much worse – Microsoft simultaneously killed a more affordable $11 version of the console. It was replaced by a recent tier called Game Pass Standard, which no longer included day one game releases, and was priced at $15! Yes, almost a 50 percent augment in price per far worse version.
What this actually meant was that the price of Game Pass – for anyone who used it as a means to access the full library and play the latest Microsoft games – increased from $11 to $20 per month. And this time, when the $69 billion Activision Blizzard deal somehow came to fruition, he really did it I feel like that was a factor.
In 2024, Game Pass has gone from one of the best deals of a lifetime to one and a bit offended, now sitting at a whopping $240 a year with no discounted annual prices. Which royally sucks. – John Walker
