Microsoft confirms the delay in increasing the price of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in certain countries, but not in the United States or in the United Kingdom

Microsoft has delayed the controversial increase in the price of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in some countries, but not in the United States or the United Kingdom.

Last week, Microsoft sparked a violent reaction with his Decision to increase the price of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate From $ 19.99 per month to $ 29.99 per month (an increase of 50 % which is equivalent to $ 120 more per year).

To justify the price increase, Microsoft increased the number of versions of the first day per year to 75 and added Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics for the very first time. The quality of the Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming has also been improved.

Microsoft said that the new ultimate price of $ 30 per month reflected “the extended catalog, the new advantages of partners and the experience of improved cloud”.

But that did not prevent the fans from reassessing if the Game Pass always suited them. The IGN survey on the issue, which now has more than 41,000 voters, shows that 53.9 % of our audience will not be abonne at all at the Game Pass. 19.9 % said they opt for the ultimate despite the price increase.

The rates updated came into force on October 1 for new subscribers and were to enter into force on November 4 for all current subscribers. But now Microsoft has confirmed that it has delayed the increase in ultimate prices in some countries, such as Ireland and South Korea. In an email addressed to the subscribers of these countries, Microsoft said that the increases would only affect new subscribers, and not existing subscribers, provided they are renewed automatically. If the Ultimate subscribers cancel and then reappear, they will be invoiced at the new price.

Microsoft then confirmed the decision. In a statement to The Verge, the company said that the delay was due to “local requirements”, which probably means that the company must grant subscribers a defined period before making price changes. Unfortunately for subscribers in the United States and the United Kingdom, this does not apply to them.

“Our recent update of the Game Pass remains unchanged,” said Microsoft in the press release. “Current subscribers in certain countries will continue to renew at their current price at the moment, in accordance with local requirements. We will provide notice before price adjustments come into force in these countries.”

The “for the moment” part of Microsoft’s declaration suggests that the price increase will eventually affect all the countries in which Ultimate is available. It’s about knowing when, not so.

This week, Microsoft confirmed that he had also deleted the Xbox Game Pass reduction on DLC purchases, offering subscribers more points to use in his reward program. This change did not go well either.

The cost of being a fan of Xbox has been a hot topic in recent months. After announcing a leap at $ 80 for his games that will be released today, Microsoft has backtrack to stick to $ 70 for games like The Outer Worlds 2. And just last month Microsoft has increased the price of Xbox consoles in the United States “Due to changes in the macroeconomic environment.”

Microsoft also raised the eyebrows when He confirmed a price of $ 999.99 for the next ROG Xbox Ally X pocket computer and $ 599.99 for the ROG Xbox Ally..

Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Wesley is director of news at IGN. Find it on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley in Wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or in a confidential manner at wyp100@proton.me.