Microsoft Admits It Messed Up and Axes Xbox Live Gold Price Hike - Gizmodo

In an apparent effort to appease angry and disappointed players, Microsoft said it would no longer require players to have an Xbox Live Gold membership to play multiplayer for free-to-play games, such as Fortnite or Call of Duty: Warzone.

For comparison’s sake, before this announcement, Microsoft was the only major platform that did not allow players to use multiplayer for free on free-to-play games, the Verge reported.

As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing,” Microsoft said in its update.

For free-to-play games, you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox.”.

Microsoft’s now axed price hike was seen by many as an effort by the company to nudge players into switching over to its Game Pass Ultimate service, which gives members access Game Pass, a service with a Netflix-like library of games, and Xbox Live Gold, among other perks, for $14.99 per month.

The deal for Game Pass Ultimate is better than paying for Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass on their own and would end up making Microsoft more money in the long run?