Microsoft Exec Defends Game Pass Price Hikes, Explains Increase In “Value”

For fans of all things Xbox and Game Pass, Wednesday’s news of a massive overhaul to the subscription service, including a price hike of Game Pass Ultimate to $29.99 a month, was as big of a gut punch as you could imagine.

Flash forward one day, and in an interview with The Verge, Dustin Blackwell, director of gaming and platform communications at Microsoft, has come out to defend the increases.

“What’s new for everyone across all three Xbox Game Pass plans is bigger game libraries, including PC games across each of the plans,” Blackwell said, reiterating what Microsoft’s own release stated. “There is also unlimited cloud gaming, which is new to Essential and Premium subscribers. …

“We’re also now giving access to more than 75 day one releases each year. That’s a 50 percent increase over the day one titles we provided last year.”

Of course, it’s unclear what exactly those 75 “Day One” titles will be, and whether they’re enough to make up for the price hike. What is clear is that Blackwell and Microsoft believe that the additions of Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft Plus Classics are massive value for gamers — services that not every gamer has a need for but is looped into regardless.

“With Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft Plus Classics, those combined add about $28 a month in value to Ultimate subscribers,” Blackwell added.

While Microsoft Defends Its Hikes, Fans Are Hitting Back

In the wake of the announced changes to Game Pass, fans began canceling their subscriptions in droves, so much so that the account page was repeatedly crashing due to an increased level of traffic. Elsewhere, GameStop announced that it would continue to sell its one-month cards for Game Pass Ultimate at $19.99, though it’s unclear if Microsoft could force a change.

Microsoft, for its part, has deployed advertisements telling players just how good the changes are, though most would beg to differ. Which is to say, it’s a messy situation pitting consumers against a corporation, and Blackwell’s comments certainly don’t help that battle.