Microsoft sure knows how to make and keep friends. After first signing deals with everyone under the sun, and maybe even one with the sun itself, promising to release Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on every platform imaginable, then turning around and shutting down game development studios like some twisted, upside-down, alternate reality version of Oprah, Microsoft is back at it again.
This time, Microsoft isn’t signing deals or buying up games studios only to shut them down; this time, they’re introducing a nice little price hike to their Xbox Game Pass service just before Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launches on the platform.
These price jumps will be active from September and will see the price of Game Pass Ultimate jump by 54.2% and the price of Game Pass Core jump by 66.8%. In money terms, this means that Game Pass Ultimate will go from R129 to R199 per month and Game Pass Core from R479 per year to R799 per year.
Microsoft isn’t just looking to make enemies with existing subscribers, either; new members are also being targeted, having to pay R119/month instead of the R79 they were previously. Again, this price increase is likely a very calculated move on Microsoft’s side, as its September date beautifully coincides with the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and other big first-party Xbox games to Game Pass.
Rumour also has it that Microsoft is looking to introduce yet another tier to the Game Pass Subscription that will exclude day-one access to first-party Xbox games. Fun times.