Xbox Game Pass, Xbox consoles, and Xbox video games could all get price increases at some point down the line, according to Head of Xbox Phil Spencer. Phil Spencer spoke at WSJ Live and suggested that Xbox will not be able to maintain the prices it currently has "forever."

Phil Spencer said, "We've held price on our console, we've held price on games, [...] and we've held price on our subscription. I don't think we'll be able to do that forever. I do think at some point we'll have to raise the prices on certain things." However, Spencer stated that it was important for Xbox to maintain the prices it currently has this holiday season so that its products appeal to "uncertain" consumers.

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Previously, Sony raised the price of its PS5 console in certain areas of the world, which prompted Xbox and Nintendo to both assure consumers that there were no plans to increase the prices of their consoles. However, Spencer's comments seem to suggest that is an option that's at least on the table. Whether it will actually happen or not remains to be seen, but Xbox gamers can count on the prices for Game Pass, consoles, and games to remain the same for at least the rest of 2022.

Right now, Xbox Game Pass costs $9.99 per month for the vanilla version, while Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $14.99. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes all the benefits of vanilla Game Pass plus PC Game Pass, access to EA Play, and Xbox Live Gold benefits. Considering the sheer amount of content that one gets in exchange for their Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, fans have been anticipating a price increase to happen eventually, but the question remains how big such an increase would be.

It seems unlikely that Microsoft will bump the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to be much higher than what Sony is currently offering as its Game Pass competitor, PS Plus Premium. For comparison, PS Plus Premium costs $17.99 per month, or $119.99 per year. Those that buy the yearly subscription to PS Plus Premium are saving $60 compared to those that pay for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate every month, but the monthly price of Premium is a few dollars ahead of Game Pass Ultimate.

For now, Xbox gamers don't have to worry about any price increases happening in the near future, though they should keep in mind that it's something that's potentially on the cards.

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Source: The Wall Street Journal