It was obviously too good to be true. If Microsoft has long made believe that it was going to protect the consumer from inflation, the American manufacturer has just officially given in, announcing a price increase for its Xbox Series, but also for the Xbox Game Pass subscription. From August 1, 2023, the price of the Xbox Series X will therefore align with that of the PS5 and go from €499.99 to €549.99. As for the Xbox Game Pass, from July 6, it will go from €9.99 to €10.99, a slight increase of €1, which obviously remains reasonable. The increase will however be more significant for the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, which will go from €12.99 to €14.99 for the monthly subscription.
To explain the increase in its prices, Kari Perez, head of communication at Xbox, explains having “maintained its prices for many years and that they are readjusted to reflect competitive conditions in each market“. She specifies, however, that “These new prices are not linked to the agreement reached with Activision Blizzard and are intended to adapt to local market conditions”. Obviously, with such competition and an inflation that is more or less accepted in the collective consciousness, one had to be naive to think that Microsoft was going to keep its original prices. Business is business as they say.