Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Xbox Game Pass are getting a bit of a price increase.
Starting in August, the flagship Xbox Series X is getting more expensive, and will cost UK shoppers £479.99. According to The Verge, the console will stay at its current price in the US, Japan, Chile, Brazil and Colombia.
Here’s how the Series X will be priced:
- £479.99 in the UK
- €549.99 in most European markets
- CAD $649.99 in Canada
- AUD 799.99 in Australia
It’s said that the new prices will align more closely with PlayStation’s PS5 pricing which was increased in August 2022. However, the lower cost digital-only Xbox Series S will remain unaffected.
As well as the Xbox Series X price increase, Xbox Game Pass will be getting more expensive, too.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will rise from £10.99 to £12.99 per month. In the EU that’s an increase from €12.99 to €12.99 while in the US, that’s $14.99 to $16.99.
Game Pass for Console will increase from £7.99 to £8.99 in the UK. Across the EU, it increases from €9.99 to €10.99 per month, while in the US it goes from $8.99 to $10.99 a month.
Xbox Game Pass for PC will remain unaffected.
These price increases will affect new Game Pass customers from June 6, and will eventually reach existing customers on August 13 (or September 13 for those in Germany).
“We’ve held on our prices for consoles for many years and have adjusted the prices to reflect the competitive conditions in each market,” said Xbox head of communications, Kari Perez.
It’s true that Microsoft has held firm on Game Pass prices since it launched in 2017, and this will be the first increase to affect the service.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer previously explained that Microsoft couldn’t avoid price increases forever.
“We’ve held price on our console, we’ve held price on games and our subscription. I don’t think we’ll be able to do that forever,” he said. “I do think at some point we’ll have to raise some prices on certain things, but going into this holiday we thought it was really important that we maintain the prices that we have.”
In other gaming news, sales of the indie survival game Iron Lung have surged since the recent news of the missing Titanic submarine.
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