Over the last few months, Xbox (which is one of gaming’s biggest brands) has seen anger and disappointment from both players and industry insiders. This happened because Xbox recently increased its subscription 'Game Pass' from $19.99/month to $29.99/month a straight $10 increase and also the PC-only Game Pass plan rose from $11.99/month to $16.49/month which is 37–40% increase. This isn’t the first time Microsoft increased the price of Xbox subscription; even in 2024, 'Game Pass Ultimate' was increased from $16.99 to $19.99/month and the annual "Core" subscription was jumped from $59.99 to $74.99. This reason clearly shows the anger of large Xbox users, as most of them always preferred to choose a best subscription such as - 'Game Pass Ultimate', but today Microsoft has increased the price of this subscription and even though they provide some good perks with this subscription, but it's still not worth paying $29.99/month just for an Xbox.
Other Reasons Behind the Backlash:-
1) Perception of declining value:
Many Xbox users said the new perks didn’t clearly offset the higher price. When a brand increases its 'Membership' or 'Subscription', audience expects a clear value and benefit, but this time Xbox has provided other perks such as - expanded the content and partner subscriptions, made some cloud gaming upgrades and enhanced the rewards program but the users were unsatisfied.
2) Studio Layoffs, Closures and Cancelled Projects:
Over the past year Xbox has closed or we can say cut staff at several studios and cancelled many notable projects, and these moves undermine fan confidence because now players worry that their beloved franchises or ambitious new games will be cut off. Developers also publicly criticize Microsoft’s strategy and these layoffs and cancellations also generate a negative impact on the brand itself and their image.
3) Retailer Disagreements and Public Pushback:
Some retail stores openly stated in public they would continue selling the old, cheaper 'Game Pass' codes even after Microsoft raised the prices, and this showed a clear disagreement between Microsoft and its partners, adding more confusion and making customers even more frustrated.
Xbox’s recent backlash is the result of multiple stupid decisions Microsoft made such as - aggressive subscription and game-pricing changes, visible studio cuts and cancelled projects, and a stream of negative messaging that amplified community frustration. They created a perception problem that made audience lose their trust in Microsoft and their future plans for Gaming. Even after all these issues, Microsoft still has many strengths to recover these problems. What do you guys think about these issues caused by Microsoft on Xbox? Let us know your own thoughts in the comments.