As Microsoft tries to work through various government entities who are challenging it about the possibility that its purchase of Activision creates an unfair market advantage, fans of gaming are more concerned with how the deal will affect how much they shell out for video games.
One of the main concerns among gamers was that Microsoft would increase the price of the Game Pass to help pay for the Activision acquisition. Currently, the pricing for the PC and console version of Game Pass sits at $9.99, and the Ultimate tier, which includes console, PC, and cloud gaming, is priced at $14.99.
The issue came up last month when U.K. regulators commented on how easy it is for Microsoft to adjust and justify its pricing of the subscription service with the addition of Activision games such as Call of Duty to the Game Pass.
In a recently published response from Microsoft, it said that it didn’t plan to increase the price of Game Pass because it would be counter-productive. The company argues that raising the price would cause a drop in subscriber count that couldn’t be recouped by the increase in pricing for remaining subscribers.
“Game Pass prices will not increase as a result of the Merger, and certainly will not increase to a point that offsets the substantial benefits of Activision titles coming to Game Pass on a day and date basis,” the response said.
Though gamers are still uneasy that a price increase could be coming, Microsoft does have a good track record in keeping prices the same through multiple acquisitions. In its response, it pointed to its mergers with Bethesda and ZeniMax. Both studios had their games published to the Game Pass, and the prices stayed the same each time.
U.K. regulators are set to reach a conclusion about the deal by April 26, while Microsoft continues to present arguments to both European and U.S. regulators who are also questioning the market impact of the purchase.
