Microsoft previously stated that they were not increasing the cost of Xbox systems. However, it appears that this may change soon. In a recent interview, the head of Microsoft’s gaming division, Phil Spencer, hinted at Xbox Game Pass price increase in the future.
Xbox Game Pass price increase hints from Phil Spencer
Spencer stated, “We’ve held price on our console, we’ve held price on games for us and our subscription. I don’t think we’ll be able to do that forever. I do think at some point we’ll have to raise some prices on certain things.
“But going into this holiday we thought it was important to maintain the prices that we have because we think consumers right now are more uncertain than they have been in a long time.” This implies that Microsoft has not thrown out the idea of a price increase in the future, and the corporation is likely thinking about efficient ways to raise some costs in particular.
Even though there was no mention of a specific aspect that will go up, there is still a chance that one or the other could do so in the future, with the Xbox Game pass price increase being the most likely (considering the substantial subscription base).
Moreover, he also points out that while Game Pass subscriptions on PC have had phenomenal growth, the service has started to slow down on consoles. While acknowledging that platform growth has started to slack off, Spencer claimed that Xbox Game Pass accounts for between 10 and 15% of total Xbox revenue.
The monthly cost of the Game Pass is $10 for consoles and PCs and $15 for the ultimate subscription, which also comes with an Xbox Live Gold membership. For die-hard gamers, this is a good value, but the monthly fee will probably go up soon. Additionally, an Xbox Series X costs $499, while an Xbox Series S costs $299.
We will have to wait to see how much Microsoft will raise the price of the Xbox Game Pass subscription or the price of the console if they do.