Game Pass 2024: pay more, and the new tier skips day-one games
Game Pass Ultimate raised to $19.99; console tier replaced with one lacking day-one releases
The market's verdict: -2.6% on MSFT in the week after.
What actually happened
On July 9, 2024, Microsoft raised Game Pass Ultimate from $16.99 to $19.99 a month, raised PC Game Pass, and replaced the console plan with a Standard tier that drops day-one first party releases, the subscription's entire reason to exist. This landed weeks before Call of Duty arrived on the service, the fulfillment of the acquisition promises, priced accordingly. Third straight year of increases for the best deal in gaming, which is what everyone was told it was, back when it was.
This one is well documented.
They did it more than once
Third consecutive yearly hike, and this one was fifty percent.
Raised in 2023, raised again in 2024. At least the pattern is honest.
Links
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Impact
- The Verge (publication)
↳ caused by Game Pass 2024 price and tier changes
Timeline
- Jul 9, 2024 Stood by it Microsoft stood by it.