Update: Xbox fans rejoice! A few hours after announcing the controversial price increase for Xbox Live Gold, Microsoft has taken back the decision after hearing fans’ outcry.
Xbox Live Gold has been catering to gamers with digital media delivery and online multiplayer across three eras of consoles for the past 2 decades. Every so often, Microsoft looks at the pricing of the subscription and makes adjustments. Now, Microsoft revealed that a few regions will soon be receiving a price increase for Xbox Live Gold.
Fortunately, Microsoft’s revamped membership plans are not a big change, so players likely won’t fee a significant hit to their pockets. According to the company, 1-month Gold memberships will have a $1 increase and a $5 increase on the 3-month membership. This means the 1-month subscription will be at $11, 3-months at $30, and a 6-month for $60.
Existing 6-month and 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscribers will not be affected by the price increase until they renew their membership. In addition, anyone who upgrades their Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership will have their remaining Gold time converted.
Existing members will have already been informed in the affected regions by the price increase either via a message center notification or email, and Microsoft notes that the prices won’t be adjusted until at least 45 days after getting the messages.
An Xbox Live Gold membership has long been a staple of Xbox console ownership. Aside from providing online multiplayer, it comes with a plethora of perks, with one of the best being Games with Gold, which grants members at least four free games every month. This month’s Games with Gold include Breakdown, The King of Fighters 13, Dead Rising, and Little Nightmares.
Microsoft has already revealed the Games with Gold for February, and it includes several solid games such as Indiana Jones, Resident Evil, and Gears 5. Emperor’s Tomb will also be added in the first half of February, followed by two more unrevealed games in the second half.
Aside from the usual free games available every month, the service sometimes offers additional benefits. During the holiday season last year, players who upgraded to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate received free 30 days subscription for Disney+.
For a limited time, three free games were provided last week to members of Xbox Live Gold in addition to the games already offered by the subscription. These games were Yooka-Laylee, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and Star Wars: Squadrons.
As the price increase shows, Microsoft services will consistently change and evolve. The largest changes could be arriving soon, now that the company’s next-gen console is available. The games on offer with Games with Gold are Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Xbox, but as fans transition to the Xbox Series X, the subscription will have to grow. This leaves many to think about what the future of Xbox Live Gold in 2021 may look like.
