Featured Image Credit: Microsoft
Topics: Xbox Game Pass, Xbox, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Microsoft
Topics: Xbox Game Pass, Xbox, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Microsoft
Xbox Game Pass subscribers were hit with a bit of a bombshell yesterday, as it was announced the subscription service would be getting yet another price hike.
This affects the Ultimate tier of Xbox Game Pass, which just so happens to be the most expensive tier.
Soon, subscribers will have to pay $30 a month to retain their subscriptions, but Xbox has argued that it’s a good deal as some new membership perks are being added. These include Ubisoft+ Classics, a back catalogue of older Ubisoft games such as Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, as well as Fortnite Crew included in the membership.
Despite the company’s attempts to sweeten the deal, fans are annoyed - and rightly so, in my humble opinion.
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However, for those who don’t want to pay this much but also want to keep their subscriptions, there is a workaround being shared.
As CharlieIntel correctly pointed out on X, Xbox fans who primarily play on PC have their own tier of Game Pass, simply called “PC.”
It doesn’t include all the bells and whistles Ultimate has but it does include Xbox day-one titles, which is the main reason why you’d subscribe to Ultimate rather than some of the cheaper tiers. For those wanting the best feature of Xbox Game Pass for a cheaper price, this is it; it'll set you back $16.49 a month.
For those playing on consoles though, your options are more limited. You could drop down to the cheaper Xbox Game Pass Premium tier but you’d be losing day-one titles.
Many are encouraging Xbox users to throw away their subscriptions entirely, electing to vote with their wallets rather than their words to make Xbox change the price back to what it was.
As an Xbox user myself, I’m also gutted that the price has been increased again. Throwing extra features that not everyone will use, such as Fortnite Crew for instance, and using it to justify a price-hike is incredibly cheeky.
That said, Xbox has been here before. This isn’t the first time it’s raised prices and following an outcry from fans the company has gone back on its decision, or at least considered all factors. Perhaps this Xbox Game Pass fiasco will have a similar ending.
Gamers have been slating Xbox for a while now, saying the company is on a downward spiral in terms of quality and business practises, and this hasn't helped matters in the slightest.