Xbox Game Pass Has Not Been Degraded, Says Microsoft

Expert Verified By

Microsoft Defends Recent Price Hike & Changes!

Story Highlight
  • Xbox recently announced a price hike for its subscription service.
  • The FTC then accused Microsoft of downgrading its service.
  • Microsoft has offered its own response, stating that the FTC’s letter was misleading.

Microsoft recently increased the prices of all Xbox Game Pass tiers and introduced a new tier. The fandom didn’t like this change, but even more price hikes are expected soon, in addition to a potential ad-based tier.

The FTC also commented on the price hike. It said that Xbox has made the subscription service worse, but Microsoft disagrees with this sentiment in its latest reply.

Why it matters: Game Pass prices are going up. This was already expected after Call of Duty was announced for the service, so the FTC has valid concerns.

Call of Duty Black Ops 6
Xbox Has Justified The Price Hike By Giving Various Reasons

In a new filing report spotted by The Verge, Microsoft stated that the FTC’s statement on the subscription service is misleading and gives an extra-record account for the facts. The gaming giant believes that calling the new tier a downgrade is wrong.

“It is wrong to call this [Xbox Game Pass Standard] a “degraded” version of the discontinued Game Pass for Console offering.”

-Microsoft

Microsoft has gone to an extra length, calling out the FTC for making such harsh claims.

It justified the price hike by saying that the discontinued product didn’t offer multiplayer functionality. As such, users would have to buy multiplayer access for an extra $9.99 per month, which would have cost them $20.98 per month.

Microsoft also justifies the Game Pass Ultimate price hike by saying that this tier will have many more day-one releases, and it marks the first time Call of Duty has ever come to a subscription service. Therefore, as per the giant, these price hikes are justified.

Xbox Game Pass
The Price Hike of Xbox Game Pass Was Inevitable

Microsoft mentions that the focus of the previous trial was that Microsoft could keep the Call of Duty games off of PlayStation consoles.

The giant has also highlighted that FTC has now shifted its focus toward the price hike, but it failed to understand that it is a common practice for businesses to change service offerings over time, given their worth.

Microsoft argues that Call of Duty isn’t being withheld from anyone who wants it, and there is no proper evidence from FTC that Microsoft is harming the competition.

It seems like Microsoft has made its point well. While fans may still find the price hike questionable, Microsoft seems content with the current status of Game Pass and its many tiers.

Was our article helpful? 👨‍💻

Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔

Gear Up For Latest News

Get exclusive gaming & tech news before it drops. Sign up today!

Join Our Community

Still having issues? Join the Tech4Gamers Forum for expert help and community support!

Latest News

Join Our Community

104,000FansLike
32,122FollowersFollow

Trending

Michael Voice Actor Teases GTA 6 Second Trailer on 27 December

Ned Luke, the voice behind Michael, recently posted on Twitter, suggested that the second trailer is coming tomorrow.

Microsoft Patents Movable And Tunable Haptic Motors For Xbox Controllers

Microsoft has published a new patent that wants to add movable haptic motors to Xbox controllers that can also be tuned by the player.

Delta Force: Black Hawk Down’s Story Campaign Promises Minimal Cutscenes and Maximum Gameplay

The Delta Force Black Hawk campaign will feature a lot of gameplay and action-packed moments that are not riddled with hour-long cutscenes.

ASUS New Micro Update for Z890 Motherboards Offers Up to 27% Performance Improvement in Gaming

ASUS new microcode update provides up to 27% performance gains in gaming and yields up to 40% improvement in the 1% lows

China Has Approved The Release of 1,416 Games In 2024- A Record For 5 Years

The NPAA in China approved 122 domestic titles and 13 foreign video games in December, bringing the total up to 1,416 for the entire year.