Xbox Live Gold Price Hike Reversed - Microsoft Backtracks

Updated at 10:26PM PT, January 22: Microsoft has reversed its recently announced price increase for Xbox Live Gold, doing so within 24 hours of the initial announcement as the company seeks to improve its standing with its player base.

“We made a mistake and you rightfully pointed it out. Staying connected with friends and playing together is essential to the gaming experience, and we did not live up to the expectations of players who rely on this service daily. Therefore, we’ve decided to maintain the current Xbox Live Gold pricing,” the company stated in a post on their official blog.

Microsoft indicated they will be taking further action to address concerns from Xbox users. The company announced that online play for free-to-play games on Xbox will no longer necessitate an Xbox Live Gold subscription. “We are diligently working to implement this change as quickly as possible in the coming months,” the company explained.

Our initial report from earlier Friday is presented below.

————————————————

Microsoft revealed this morning an increase in the cost of Xbox Live Gold, an announcement made seemingly in an effort to minimize attention on a Friday.

The details of the price adjustments are as follows:

• The monthly subscription will increase from $10 to $11.
• The three-month subscription will increase from $25 to $30.
• The six-month subscription will increase from $40 to $60 — however, this change applies only to new subscribers, according to Microsoft.

“However, what about the yearly plan? Was that previously available?”

Yes, it was! It previously cost $60 — which is now the price of a six-month subscription. Microsoft discontinued sales of yearly plans last July, likely anticipating this change and wanting to avoid displaying a $120 price tag for a full year of Xbox Live Gold.

Notably, the price increase for the six-month plan will not affect existing customers. If you currently have a six-month subscription (or are automatically renewing a yearly subscription), Xbox Support confirmed via Twitter that your price will remain unchanged:

If you are currently subscribed to the one-month or three-month plans, you will be subject to the new pricing.

The reason for this cost adjustment is not explicitly stated by Microsoft (beyond mentioning that prices haven’t been raised in years, or even a decade in some areas), but it can be reasonably assumed that it is, in part, to make the $15 per month Xbox Game Pass (which includes Xbox Live Gold alongside a vast library of downloadable games) a more attractive option.

Manish Singh contributed to this report.