Microsoft reverses decision to raise Xbox Live Gold prices

Less than 24 hours after announcing Xbox Live Gold's price hike, Microsoft and the Xbox team have reversed the decision. Following the announcement, there was swift backlash and players were quick to point out other issues with Xbox Live Gold that have existed for quite some time. Following this, some new changes to Xbox Live Gold were announced.

Yesterday, Microsoft announced plans to bump up the price of Xbox Live Gold, essentially doubling the subscription cost for a full year. Long-time Xbox players were also quick to point out that Microsoft still requires a Gold subscription to play free to play games, something that Nintendo Online and PS+ don't do.

In an update, Microsoft acknowledged all of this. Not only are Xbox Live Gold prices no longer going up, but the company is also finally addressing the free to play issue. Soon, an Xbox Live Gold subscription will no longer be needed to play free to play multiplayer games like Fortnite, Destiny 2, Call of Duty Warzone and others.

“We messed up today and you were right to let us know. Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of gaming and we failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing.”

“We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the centre of their experience. For free-to-play games, you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months.”

KitGuru Says: This is the sort of controversy that Microsoft really should have been avoiding at the start of a new console generation. Fortunately, it didn't take long to get things reversed this time around. What did you all think about the initial announcement yesterday?

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