Why, in the Year of our Lord 2024, does multiplayer functionality still cost extra?
After the FTC submitted a filing criticizing Microsoft’s Game Pass price increases, the Xbox parent company responded with a letter of its own to the US Ninth Circuit Court, first spotted by Tom Warren of The Verge. In it, Microsoft argues that the new cheapest console Game Pass tier is actually a better deal for consumers despite the $3 per month price hike, because it also unlocks online multiplayer functionality now—otherwise $10 a month on Xbox.
“Earlier this month, Microsoft announced changes to its gaming subscription service, Game Pass, to provide consumers valuable options at different price points”, the letter begins. “Microsoft is offering a new service tier, Game Pass Standard, which offers access to hundreds of back-catalog games and [emphasis theirs] multiplayer functionality for $14.99 a month.
“It is wrong to call this a ‘degraded’ version of the discontinued Game Pass for Console offering. That discontinued product did not offer multiplayer functionality, which had to be purchased separately for an additional $9.99/month (making the total cost $20.98/month). While Game Pass ultimate’s price will increase from $16.99 to $19.99/month, the service will offer more value through many new games available ‘day-and-date.'”
The Microsoft filing also argues that the FTC was not so concerned with subscription pricing in the deliberations over the company’s historic acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and that it has kept up its end of the bargain by continuing to release Call of Duty on PlayStation.
