Update:
The team over at Xbox retracted their original announcement, and have now stated that the pricing will remain the same.
“[UPDATED on 1/22/2021 at 8:52 PM PT]
We messed up today and you were right to let us know. Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of gaming and we failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing.
We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience. For free-to-play games, you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months.
If you are an Xbox Live Gold member already, you stay at your current price for renewal. New and existing members can continue to enjoy Xbox Live Gold for the same prices they pay today. In the US, $9.99 for 1-month, $24.99 for 3-months, $39.99 for 6-months and $59.99 for retail 12-months.
Thank you.”
This means players that are playing free-to-play titles such as TERA, Fortnite or Bless Unleashed, will no longer be required to have Xbox Live in order to play the games! A pretty bold move on Xbox’s part, but momentous regardless.
Original:
In an unprecedented, and extreme update on the Xbox blog website, Microsoft and the team at Xbox announced that going forward prices for their online membership would be changing. According to their blog, they state the following:
“Periodically, we assess the value and pricing of our services to reflect changes in regional marketplaces and to continue to invest in the Xbox community; we’ll be making price adjustments for Xbox Live Gold in select markets. In many markets, the price of Xbox Live Gold has not changed for years and in some markets, it hasn’t changed for over 10 years.
So, what does this mean for you?
- If you’re an existing online 12-month or 6-month Xbox Live Gold member, there’s no price change. If you choose to renew your membership, it will renew at your current price.
- The price of a 1-month Gold membership is increasing $1 USD and the price of a 3-month membership is increasing $5 USD or the equivalent amount in your local market.
- If you’d like to upgrade your Gold membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate your remaining Gold time will also convert directly to Ultimate (up to 36 months). For example, if you have 11 months of Xbox Live Gold now, and you upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, those 11 months convert to 11 months of Ultimate at no additional cost.”
A frightening change, in this economy, and let alone with its competitors at Nintendo and PlayStation where PlayStation Plus is roughly $60 a year, and $20 for Nintendo’s membership. This means that the cost of Xbox Live, for the price of a yearly membership on PlayStation Plus of $60, will get Xbox Players 6 months of membership.
Members have already been notified in some regions. If you’re in a region where prices are being adjusted, you will receive an email and a message center notification over the next month letting you know what the new pricing is for your membership. Going forward, new pricing will be 1-month for $10.99, 3-months for $29.99, and 6-months for $59.99, or your local market equivalent. You can always visit your account to manage your membership, and prices won’t adjust until at least 45 days after you receive the messages.
More information on this upcoming change can be found on their website here, but it seems the change is final and players will be notified in waves, so keep a look out.
