Xbox Team Retracts Membership Price Hike, Admits They “Messed Up”

Credit: Microsoft/Xbox

Microsoft has decided to halt its Xbox Live Gold membership subscription price hike in select markets due to public outrage.

The Xbox Live Gold Team acknowledged in a blog post update that they “messed up” on deciding to increase its one-month, three-month, and six-month membership by US$1, US$5 and US$20 respectively for new subscribers.

“Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of gaming and we failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing,” the Xbox Live Gold Team added.

The update also mentioned that free-to-play games like Fortnite no longer require an Xbox Live Gold membership. Current subscribers will pay the current amount for their subscription renewal instead of the increased prices.

New subscribers will also pay the current prices instead of increased ones for their subscriptions.

Xbox fans did not receive the price hike well when it was announced; some have even tweeted that they plan to migrate to the PS5 instead of paying the new prices.

The Xbox Live Gold Team mentioned that the price hike was a reflection of “changes in regional marketplaces.” However, TechCrunch and CNet do not see it as their real reason.

While Microsoft did not reveal why they decided to increase prices, the two publications assumed that the hike was, at least partially, meant to make the US$15 Xbox Game Pass much more desirable.

The Game Pass bundles the Xbox Live Gold with limitless on-demand games for the Xbox, PC, and Android. These games include new Xbox game studio titles like Halo Infinite.

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Written by John Paul Joaquin