Are Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate prices on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC increasing? Currently, the latter costs $10 and month, while the former runs at $15 a month. On the surface level, this isn’t cheap, but considering what subscribers get in return, it’s practically theft. Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate are such good deals that subscribers and those on the outside looking in are anticipating a price increase, because, surely a price increase is coming. And a price increase will happen, if not purely due to inflation over time, but it sounds like a price increase isn’t happening anytime soon. During a recent interview, Xbox boss Phil Spencer seem to downplay concerns that Microsoft is waiting to get more people through the front door and hooked before jacking up the price.
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A lot of the speculation about an Xbox Game Price increase is the result of the massive amounts of money Xbox has been splashing in acquisitions. Of course, Microsoft prints money, but that doesn’t negate the fact that it’s a publicly-traded company that got to where it is by recently pursuing profit. In other words, Spencer isn’t writing blank checks without expectations. Still, if you’re an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, it sounds like you don’t need to worry about a price increase anytime soon.
“I feel like I can’t prove this negative. [People ask] when is the Game Pass price is going to get go up? ‘They’re buying all these studios. You know, it’s inevitable.’ Even though it’s been what, now, four years we haven’t raised it. But it’s like, ‘You know, it’s coming’ ‘When they are number one, they’re going to start doing all those exclusive deals that, like, you know, Xbox has history’ and all I can do is is make the decisions that are in front of us and try to be explicit about what our goals are,” said Spencer speaking to Stephen Totillo.
Spencer continued, talking about how this strategy has already begun paying off, citing the recent releases of Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite, both of which saw a record number of players, which is not to be confused with record sales. How did this happen? Because of Xbox Game Pass.ย
“I honestly mean… you can see it with Forza and Halo the last releases. Those are the most played games in those franchises because we made them available on more screens than we ever have, through more business models than we’ve ever made them available.”
Of course, it wasn’t that long ago Xbox tried to double the price of Xbox Live Gold before walking it back following massive backlash. So, while Spencer sounds pretty adamant that Xbox Game Pass subscribers have nothing to worry about it, the reality is the financial reality of the situation and Xbox’s history suggests there’s plenty of reason to be concerned.ย
