Microsoft hits the brakes on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price gouging

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Looks like Microsoft got a little too excited about that 50% price hike for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and is now doing some serious backpedaling.

The company just announced they’re pumping the brakes on their wallet-crushing plans—but only for existing subscribers in select markets.

As confirmed by Microsoft in a statement sent to subscribers and reported by The Verge, existing subscribers in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Korea, Poland, and India will continue to pay the old rate for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Microsoft’s email makes it clear: “At this time, these increases will only affect new purchases and will not affect your current subscription for the market in which you reside, as long as you are on an auto-recurring plan.”

This mercy only applies to current subscribers on auto-renew. New customers still get hit with the full price increase starting October 1st.

Basically, what Microsoft is saying is, “hey, thanks for your loyalty! Here’s a temporary reprieve before we inevitably screw you over too.”

The company claims this delay is due to “local regulations” requiring at least 60 days’ notice before price changes.

Translation: some countries actually have consumer protection laws with teeth, unlike the Wild West approach in the US and UK, which remain unaffected by this temporary stay of execution.

Microsoft has confirmed that the emails regarding this change are legitimate, so existing subscribers in these markets won’t see increases until at least 60 days after proper notification.

Originally, current subscribers were supposed to get hit at their next billing cycle around November 4th.

Bottom line: Enjoy the reprieve while it lasts, because Microsoft’s shareholders aren’t going to forget about that extra revenue forever.

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com.