IN a bold move after increasing the prices of their hardwares, Xbox will also be updating the price for their monthly subscription of Game Pass. Xbox will be ‘upgrading’ all of their tiers; Game Pass Core (to be called Game Pass Essential), Game Pass Standard (to be called Game Pass Premium), PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate, giving access to more library of games and better benefits.
However, while Game Pass Essential and Game Pass Premium will retain their pricing, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate will be getting a hefty price increase.
To alleviate the price increase, Xbox will be upgrading both of these tiers, with PC Game Pass getting Ubisoft+ Classics, with 40-plus games included in their catalogue. On the other hand, Game Pass Ultimate, which will be getting a huge $10 increase, is promising ’75 day one games per year,’ Ubisoft+ Classics games, and additional benefits from the Fortnite Crew subscription. The Philippine Xbox PC Game Pass will increase to P320 from P175.
But fans are not buying this move, with some claiming that it’s cheaper to just buy the games that they want instead of getting the subscription. With Xbox games being in the range of $70, a commenter said that ‘to play Day 1 releases is now $30 a month. After 2 months, that’s nearly enough to own the game outright.’
‘Between this and the [multiple!] console price hikes recently, I simply don’t understand it when everyone is cutting back on spending as is,’ a Redditor also replied. Moreso, gamers don’t see the value of the increase, saying: ‘Not to mention if you wait 2-3 months, the games usually go on sale and you can buy it much cheaper.’
This new tier might price people out of the subscription, especially casuals who enjoy only a few games. As such, people might opt out and cancel their subscription.