Microsoft (MS) Xbox raised the price of its in-house game subscription service, Game Pass, by an average of 50%. The increase varies by paid tier, and for the top tier, "Ultimate," the hike exceeded 80%.
MS said on the 1st (local time) that it raised the monthly subscription price as it introduced a new tier system for Game Pass, which has 34 million subscribers. It reorganized the existing Core, Standard, and Ultimate tiers into Essential, Premium, and Ultimate, respectively.
Accordingly, prices also went up, the company said. In the Korea market, Essential rose about 37%, from 7,900 won to 10,800 won; Premium became 75% more expensive, from 8,500 won to 14,900 won; and Ultimate jumped 81%, from 16,000 won to 29,000 won. For the PC-only plan, the price increased from 9,500 won to 18,000 won, nearly 90%.
This is the first price adjustment in 1 year and 3 months since Jul. last year.
MS said it improved the service through this overhaul and price increase, including significantly expanding the number of games users can enjoy. Ultimate subscribers can enjoy more than 400 games not only on Xbox consoles and PC but also on other devices that support Game Pass, much like choosing movies or drama on Netflix.
With this price increase, Xbox Game Pass has become at least twice as expensive as Sony's competing console game subscription, "PlayStation Plus." According to CNBC, in the United States the annual subscription fee for Game Pass Ultimate is $359.88, twice the $159.99 for PlayStation Plus Premium.
In Korea, the increase is larger than in the United States, and since the mid-tier (Premium and Essential) prices—unchanged in the United States—also went up, gamer dissatisfaction is expected to grow.