Microsoft plans to raise the price of its Game Pass subscriptions significantly – and an American watchdog isn't amused.
Microsoft responds to FTC Game Pass price hike justified
Earlier this month, the Windows giant announced that it would be making some changes to Game Pass, which is essentially the Netflix of video games and allows users to pay monthly to access hundreds of games on Xbox and PC.
Starting in September, the highest Game Pass Ultimate subscription will cost $19.99 a month, up from $16.99 a month, while PC Game Pass will rise to $11.99 a month, an increase of two dollars. Microsoft will also shut down the console-specific version of Game Pass, while introducing a new tier called Game Pass Standard.
The kicker is that while the doomed console Game Pass only cost $10.99 a month, Game Pass Standard costs $14.99 and doesn't let players play new titles on day one of their release, which is now exclusive to the premium Ultimate subscription. The US FTC says the jump, from the console's Game Pass to the Ultimate plan, is an unfair 81 percent cost increase for gamers.
