Following last week’s announcement of a 50% price increase to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription rates, Microsoft has pulled back on that – but only for a select few.
Existing subscribers in several regions, notably some European countries like Germany and Poland, along with Asian countries like India and Indonesia, have reportedly received an email from Microsoft which states that their Ultimate subscription will not increase in price as long as they remain subscribed.
The email states: “At this time, these increases will only affect new purchases and will not affect your current subscription for the market in which you reside, as long as you are on an auto-recurring plan. Should you choose to cancel your plan and repurchase, you will be charged at the new current rate.”
This isn’t being seen as a backing down by Microsoft, rather they confirm to The Verge that the countries that are getting this offer are those that have strict “local requirements” in place regarding subscription price changes. In other words, regulations on subscription service cost adjustments.
This is reinforced with the rest of the e-mail, which says Microsoft will give 60 days notice of any future adjustments to Xbox Game Pass’ pricing. That means the current delay on installing the price hike should be at least two months, though will likely be longer.
Countries like the US, UK, Canada and Australia are unaffected – meaning everyone gets the price hike.
Microsoft announced the 50% price increase to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate a week ago, along with a PC Game Pass hike of 40%, and the backlash has been swift with many fans on social media calling for a boycott and cancelling their accounts.
