Achievement Unlocked: Listened to Feedback
Yesterday Microsoft announced a substantial price increase for Xbox Live Gold membership. The increase would have seen the one month option increase by $1 USD, the 3 month option increase by $5, and the 6-month option increase by $20. The price increase made it so a year long membership would cost double what it used to. The announcement was unsurprisingly met with a wave of negative feedback, and Microsoft listened.
Late last night Microsoft announced that they recognize their mistake and that they will not be increasing the cost of Xbox Live Gold at any price point, leaving the service with the old price options of $9.99 for 1-month, $24.99 for 3-months, $39.99 for 6-months and $59.99 for retail 12-months.
They made the announcement that they’ll be going back on their original plans, in an updated blog post.
“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.”
In addition to turning back on the decision to increase Xbox Live Gold prices, they have also announced that Xbox Live Gold will no longer be required to play free-to-play games, such as Fortnite –a highly requested feature.
“We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center 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.”
What do you think of this situation? Did Xbox make the right decision to go back on their original announcement? Let us know down in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.
