Microsoft delays Game Pass Ultimate price hikes for current subscribers

 

Ah yes, Microsoft — the benevolent overlord of subscription services — has once again graced us with its magnanimity. The company has decided to “delay” its Game Pass Ultimate price hikes for current subscribers. Not cancel, mind you, just delay. Because nothing says “we care about our loyal customers” like a ticking time bomb strapped to your credit card.

Let’s not pretend this is anything other than a PR move polished to a corporate shine. The translation of their announcement goes something like this:

“We’ve decided to postpone the price increase so you can keep feeling like we’re still your cool gaming buddy, right up until we quietly charge you $30 a month next quarter.”

Truly, how thoughtful of them. They’re basically holding back the flood just long enough for you to forget your umbrella.

And the cherry on top? Microsoft’s PR spin about “rewarding loyalty.” Because clearly, the best way to reward your loyal base is to announce that their subscription will soon cost half the price of an indie game — every month — and then pat yourself on the back for being such a generous soul.

Let’s be real: Game Pass started as a revolutionary service, but now it’s slowly morphing into a “subscription tax” on being a gamer. The idea was to make gaming accessible — now it’s just making wallets accessible. For Microsoft. The price is creeping up, the catalog is increasingly filled with filler titles that you’ll never play, and yet we’re told it’s a “great value.” Sure, and gaslighting is just emotional illumination.

Meanwhile, the company insists Xbox hardware isn’t going anywhere. Of course not — it’s just being overshadowed by a monthly invoice. The console is basically a totem now, a physical reminder of how much money you’ve already invested in your digital shackles.

So thank you, Microsoft, for your temporary mercy. We’ll treasure this brief reprieve before you decide that $29.99 a month is a “competitive adjustment” and sprinkle in another tier called Game Pass Ultra Infinite Premium Supreme Deluxe Edition, which will definitely be “the best value in gaming™.