It was around three months ago that the price of Game Pass was boosted amidst a shake-up, raising the cost of the Xbox- and PC-based subscription service by a couple of dollars a month here and there. It has since received content like Starfield, so people weren’t all that fussed – but it was also in line with inflation and a flailing economy, so it’s whatever, right?
Speaking to a Japanese publication off the back of the Tokyo Game Show, Phil Spencer was asked about the future of Xbox Game Pass – specifically as to whether it would see another price hike in the near future. He beat around the bush a little bit, but ultimately, he stressed that a price rise is ‘inevitable’.
Does The Pope?
These days, the cost of a loaf of bread is enough to make the average adult sweat through their clothes, so it comes as no surprise that gamers start feeling a little antsy when price hikes are discussed – but according to Phil Spencer, they’re inevitable.
But that also makes immense amounts of sense, and on this occasion, I’ll praise Spencer for being transparent and saying it like it is. Of course, there will be a price hike – that’s how things work.
His exact statement went:
Although the main premise is to provide more value, the price is I think it is inevitable that it will rise in the future. We recently raised our prices once, but the decision was made after careful consideration. We believe it is important to provide services that are recognized as being of sufficient value even if prices are increased.
(Thanks to Idle Sloth for the translation from JP)
It was just a couple of months ago that Xbox Game Pass – and PC Game Pass – received a sizeable shake-up, but it was one of the first major changes to the pricing structure of the service in years. So, it’s safe to assume that it’ll be quite a while before we see any more changes made – even if they are, in P3’s words, inevitable.
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