Xbox Pumps The Brakes On Game Pass Ultimate Price Hikes But Not In The US Or UK
- Microsoft confirms delay on raising Game Pass prices in certain countries
- The tech giant’s likely excuse has to do with local regulations
- Xbox Game Pass cancellations broke the unsubscribe page
- Social media still flooded with comments slamming Microsoft and Xbox
Jump to:
Existing Subscribers In Select Countries Will Not Be Affected For Now
Microsoft’s recent announcement to hike PC and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier from $20 to $30 caused players to cancel their subscription faster than the website could handle. As a result, the tech giant is now pumping the brakes on increased Game Pass prices for existing subscribers in Ireland, Germany, Poland, India, and South Korea.
Subscribers in the aforementioned countries have been receiving emails from Microsoft that tell them they will not be affected by the new price as long as they have an automated payment for their current plan.
“At this time, these increases will only affect new purchases and will not affect your current subscription for the market in which you reside, as long as you are on an auto recurring plan,” Microsoft said in the email.
“Should you choose to cancel your plan and repurchase, you will be charged at the new current rate.”
Kari Perez, Head of Xbox Communications, confirmed to a media outlet that prices for the US and UK will not be changed, and that prices will be increased in the countries that remain unchanged at the moment.
“Our recent Game Pass update remains unchanged. Current subscribers in certain countries will continue renewing at their existing price for now, in line with local requirements. We’ll provide advance notice before price adjustments take effect in these countries,” Perez said.
The likely reason for the pause pertains to local regulations. Recurring subscriptions in Ireland, Germany, Poland, India, and South Korea, cannot be changed without a prior 60-day notice.
Cancellations Cancels Xbox Game Pass Website
Within hours after Xbox announced the new prices for the Ultimate Game Pass tier, enough players headed to the website and canceled their subscriptions which caused the page to crash. Many who succeeded posted pictures of the confirmation message on X in a thread under the official XboxGamePass account.
There is no shortage of comments in social media regarding this latest faux pas from Microsoft. Users on Reddit, X, and Bluesky are all sharing their thoughts on Microsoft and the business decision made. While Microsoft may have a plan in place the gamer community is having none of it.
X user Blaze on X News even went as far as to post a video tutorial on how to cancel an Xbox subscription. The post has been viewed 260,000 times since Oct. 1.
“Microsoft got so arrogant with that thirty dollar a month price hike they literally caused a bank run on their own subscription service,” Rant Zine wrote on X.
Bluesky currently has several smaller threads with users discussing the new prices. Posts are generally not as peppered with profanities, alas, the message to Xbox is clear.
“Boycott Game Pass. Time to pass on Game Pass,” Bluesky user Peter posted.
or
