Microsoft says it “understand[s] price increases are never fun for anybody” following its decision to raise the prices of Xbox Game Pass tiers.
Speaking to The Verge, Microsoft director of gaming and platform communications Dustin Blackwell said that it is “trying to reinforce” its offerings by “adding more value to these plans” alongside the price increases.
“It’s something we don’t take lightly, and we’re listening to the feedback of players and the community to try and provide them with more of what they’re asking for.”
Earlier this week, the firm announced it was increasing the most expensive tier of Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, from $19.99/£14.99 to $29.99/£22.99 per month.
It also announced rises of Xbox Game Pass Standard – renamed Xbox Game Pass Premium – and PC Game Pass.
Blackwell noted the price increases reflected additional content added to the service, specifically its Ultimate tier.
“[Game Pass Ultimate] will now include access to more than 400 titles globally, this includes the majority of our partners who want to continue to bring their future games to Xbox Game Pass,” he noted.
“We’re also now giving access to more than 75 day one releases each year. That’s a 50 percent increase over the day one titles we provided last year.”
Last week, Microsoft also announced it would be bumping up the prices of its Xbox Series X|S consoles for a second time in the United States.
Costs will rise from between $20 and $70 across its hardware range.