It’s chaos in the house Microsoft. The announcement of the increase in prices of the various levels of Game Passthe subscription service that allows access to a vast catalog of games with a monthly payment, has sparked a very heated controversy and an avalanche of cancellations, so much so as to send crash the site. What caused a stir, in particular, was the increase in 50% of the cost of the Ultimate package, considered the flagship of the offer.
Testifying to the collapse of user trust in Microsoft’s service are also Google searches related to how to cancel your subscription, which reached 100 per day. In short, a real mass escape, and a clear demonstration of the fact that, at these prices, the Game Pass is no longer perceived as aeconomical alternative to the purchase of individual games. A premise on which, moreover, it was based.
The surprise decision, second Bloombergwould be a consequence of the introduction of Call of Duty in the catalogue. In the article from the New York agency, taken from multyplayer.it“former employees” of Microsoft are quoted, according to whom Game Pass is not generating the expected profits after eight years of activity and the continuous addition of new titles to the service. One of the interviewees explained that the decision to make available to subscribers Black Ops 6 from the day of its release it would have generated losses for 300 million dollars in potential sales that did not occur.
Microsoft would therefore find itself on its hands complicated balancing work: ensure the survival of Game Pass and recover large sums of money from games not sold because they were included in the catalog. A very difficult feat, considering that the service has always been advertised as a “value for players” option.
In all of this, the Redmond house seems not to want to take steps backwards. “Our recent Game Pass update remains unchanged,” said Xbox communications manager Kari Perez, who also offered clarification on emails received from users in some countries, in which it was specified that the price will not increase for them. “Current subscribers in some countries they will continue to renew at the existing price for now, in line with local requirements.
We will provide advance notice before the price adjustments go into effect in these countries.” The situation, for the moment, remains very murky. We will see if the increase in cost will determine the survival of Game Pass, or if it will be its tombstone.