Microsoft Scraps Xbox Live Gold Price Increase

Microsoft will no longer be increasing the price of Xbox Live Gold memberships, it announced after overwhelming consumer backlash.

Furthermore, it revealed that free-to-play games will no longer be locked behind an Xbox Live Gold membership, meaning that titles like Fortnite and Rocket League will have no paid barrier to entry.

Microsoft edited the announcement blog post around 14 hours after its initial publication, backpedalling on the price increase and issuing an apology. It stated: "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." Additionally, the company sent out a tweet (shown below) admitting that it had "missed the mark".

Today was not great. We always try to do our best for you and today we missed the mark.

We hear you, and we’re reversing our Xbox Live Gold pricing updates.

— Xbox (@Xbox) January 23, 2021

Xbox Live Gold memberships will remain at the price of $9.99 USD for one month, $24.99 USD for three months, $39.99 USD for six months and $59.99 USD for 12 months (or local market equivalents).