Microsoft announced this morning via a post on the Xbox Wire that the current prices for Xbox Live Gold will be going through some changes, and players around the globe will be affected. Subscribers to Xbox Live Gold will be receiving emails if they live in any affected region where price changes are to occur, and price changes will result 45 days after the email notification, meaning the new prices for Xbox Live Gold are set to start at the beginning of March.
The current prices for Xbox Live Gold stands at 1-month for $9.99, 3-months for $24.99, 6-month for $39.99 and 12-month for $59.99. Earlier last year though, Microsoft has since discontinued selling Xbox Live Gold 12-month membership cards. Many assumed this will lead to Microsoft dropping Xbox Live Gold as a service and fold it's online services into Xbox's ongoing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription service.
The new pricing for Xbox Live Gold will stand at 1-month for $10.99, 3-months for $29.99, and 6-months for $59.99, resulting in a year for Xbox Live Gold costing double the current pricing at roughly $119.98. This is twice the price of PlayStation's PSN service which offers all the same features as Xbox Live Gold, including online gaming, cloud saves, free monthly games, monthly game sales, and more.
Many see this as Microsoft forcing it's player-base into shifting to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription service, which includes Xbox Live Gold at no addition cost or price change. A year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate averages out to $360 a year, which is three times the price as a year of the new Xbox Liv Gold pricing, however offers hundreds of games for free across all Xbox platforms, exclusive perks, exclusive savings on Game Pass titles, and free entry into all future First Party Microsoft title. Many have stated that Xbox Game Pass is the best deal in gaming, but it would seem that Microsoft is now making it the only feasible option for this gaming on Xbox Platforms with the recent price changing announcements.
While players still have roughly 45 days left at the current pricing, it remains to be seen how Microsoft will respond to current frustration around this price change. For more on Xbox Live Gold, be sure to check back to My Xbox And Me.