Microsoft: New Game Pass prices do not apply to existing customers for now
Microsoft reorganizes the Game Pass game subscription and raises some prices. However, existing customers will be spared this for now, confirms the company.
(Image: Microsoft)
For now, the new Game Pass prices do not apply to existing customers in several European countries whose subscriptions are automatically renewed. Microsoft is informing subscribers in Germany and Austria, among others, of this in an email. For now, customers do not have to pay the new prices.
However, this only applies until the subscription is cancelled and rebooked or otherwise changed, Microsoft explains to technology magazine The Verge. Anyone who switches to a different tier, for example, is considered a new customer and must live with the new pricing structure accordingly. In contrast to users from several EU countries, existing customers in the USA and the UK will be switched directly to the new model.
60-day lead time
The grace period for many Europeans is likely to be limited in time. In its email to customers, Microsoft writes that existing customers could also be forced to switch to the new model in the future. However, a lead time of 60 days is planned for this. Users would then be informed of the upcoming changes and would have 60 days to accept them—or let their subscription lapse.
Microsoft announced the new structure of the Game Pass subscription last week. The subscription will become pricier for many users. In the future, new game releases will only be available at the highest subscription level called Ultimate, which will cost 27 Euro per month instead of the previous 18 Euro. In addition, the monthly prices for the entry-level subscription will increase, which will be called Essential instead of Core and will cost 9 Euro per month instead of 7 Euro. The intermediate level will be called Premium instead of Standard and will remain unchanged at 13 Euro per month.
Videos by heise
One of the advantages of the new concept is that unlimited cloud gaming is now included in all subscription levels. In the Ultimate tier, which has become significantly pricier, users now also get the Ubisoft+ and Fortnite Crew subscriptions on top. For most users, the Game Pass subscription is getting worse; until now, it was also possible to play many new releases from Xbox studios and independent partners directly on release in the mid-tier subscription. In the future, this will only be included in the significantly more expensive Ultimate level. Standard/Premium subscribers wait a year for new releases, while Core/Essential users have a very limited game library anyway and are not promised any new titles.
(dahe)
