Microsoft Ups Price For Xbox Live Subscription

Microsoft is increasing the price of a gold Xbox Live subscription, but not every price, and not everywhere in the world.

Starting November 1st, Microsoft is increasing one or more of the prices for a Gold Xbox Live subscription in the USA, UK, Canada and Mexico. In the US, the costs of one month, three month and twelve month subscriptions are all increasing. In the UK and Canada, only the cost of a one month subscription will increase, and in Mexico only the twelve month subscription is going up. The changes were announced on Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb’s blog, and Hryb said that all other prices would remain the same.

Here’s a breakdown of the new rates, after the increase:

USA
• One Month: $9.99 (up from $7.99)
• Three Months: $24.99 (up from $19.99)
• Twelve Months: $59.99 (up from $49.99)

UK

• One Month: £5.99 (up from £4.99)

Canada

• One Month: $9.99 CAD (up from $8.99 CAD)

Mexico

• Twelve Months: 599 Pesos (up from 499 pesos)

Hryb wrote that since launching Xbox Live in 2002, Microsoft had increased the amount of content and features, but had kept the price the same. He added that he was confident that despite the extra cost, an Xbox Live Gold subscription would “continue to offer the best value in the industry.” Microsoft is also offering subscribers a chance to purchase another twelve months at a reduced price, but that seems to only apply to the US.

The cost of running the Xbox Live system must have grown to enormous levels since it started, and the fact that Microsoft has kept the price the same for eight years shows how reluctant it is to pass that cost on to its subscribers. The change in pricing will inevitably upset some people, but at the very most, an Xbox Live Gold subscription will cost you an additional $24 a year, which really isn’t a huge amount of money.

Source: via Slashgear