Armenius
Extremely [H]
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2014
- Messages
- 42,127
Thanks to Templar_X for pointing out that Microsoft has backtracked already on changes to the pricing model at this time. In addition, they removed the Gold requirement for free-to-play games. Interesting that they do this now when people have been complaining about the latter for a long time.
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/01/22/update-on-xbox-live-gold-pricing/
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/01/22/update-on-xbox-live-gold-pricing/
[UPDATED on 1/22/2021 at 8:52 PM PT
We messed up today and you were right to let us know. 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.
We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience. For free-to-play games, you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months.
If you are an Xbox Live Gold member already, you stay at your current price for renewal. New and existing members can continue to enjoy Xbox Live Gold for the same prices they pay today. In the US, $9.99 for 1-month, $24.99 for 3-months, $39.99 for 6-months and $59.99 for retail 12-months.
Thank you.
We messed up today and you were right to let us know. 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.
We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience. For free-to-play games, you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months.
If you are an Xbox Live Gold member already, you stay at your current price for renewal. New and existing members can continue to enjoy Xbox Live Gold for the same prices they pay today. In the US, $9.99 for 1-month, $24.99 for 3-months, $39.99 for 6-months and $59.99 for retail 12-months.
Thank you.
In a move in which Windows Central calls "the worst deal in gaming," Microsoft has just revealed that the price on new Xbox Live Gold subscriptions has doubled to $59.99 USD per 6 months, or $120 for 12 months. They argue that this is Microsoft enacting an aggressive push to entice people to upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate, which is another $60 a year on top of the new Gold price. Windows Central rightfully points out how this is tone deaf, considering many are still suffering due to the effects and ongoing lockdowns during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Microsoft's justification for the increase in price is to compensate for the changing market landscape and keep up with demands on their server network, as they claim their network is the most reliable in the industry. PlayStation Plus is still $60 a year as of this writing. Free-to-play games require Xbox Live Gold to play online, while a Plus subscription is not required on PlayStation platforms.
If you are currently a Gold member and have your subscription set to auto renew, you will continue at the current pricing until the cancellation of auto renewal.
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/01/22/update-on-xbox-live-gold-pricing/
Microsoft's justification for the increase in price is to compensate for the changing market landscape and keep up with demands on their server network, as they claim their network is the most reliable in the industry. PlayStation Plus is still $60 a year as of this writing. Free-to-play games require Xbox Live Gold to play online, while a Plus subscription is not required on PlayStation platforms.
If you are currently a Gold member and have your subscription set to auto renew, you will continue at the current pricing until the cancellation of auto renewal.
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/01/22/update-on-xbox-live-gold-pricing/
Since we launched Xbox Live (18 years ago!), we’ve been working to make it the most advanced multiplayer network available, for the greatest community of gamers — and there are a lot of you. Millions of people come together on Xbox to play with friends and discover great games. We invest in our community by strengthening the digital safety of our players, enabling new ways to share, communicate and play with your friends, and delivering industry leading reliability across our network.
Periodically, we assess the value and pricing of our services to reflect changes in regional marketplaces and to continue to invest in the Xbox community; we’ll be making price adjustments for Xbox Live Gold in select markets. In many markets, the price of Xbox Live Gold has not changed for years and in some markets, it hasn’t changed for over 10 years.
So, what does this mean for you?
Periodically, we assess the value and pricing of our services to reflect changes in regional marketplaces and to continue to invest in the Xbox community; we’ll be making price adjustments for Xbox Live Gold in select markets. In many markets, the price of Xbox Live Gold has not changed for years and in some markets, it hasn’t changed for over 10 years.
So, what does this mean for you?
- If you’re an existing online 12-month or 6-month Xbox Live Gold member, there’s no price change. If you choose to renew your membership, it will renew at your current price.
- The price of a 1-month Gold membership is increasing $1 USD and the price of a 3-month membership is increasing $5 USD or the equivalent amount in your local market.
- If you’d like to upgrade your Gold membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate your remaining Gold time will also convert directly to Ultimate (up to 36 months). For example, if you have 11 months of Xbox Live Gold now, and you upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, those 11 months convert to 11 months of Ultimate at no additional cost.
Last edited: