For years, Xbox Game Pass was the crown jewel of gaming subscriptions. The ultimate “bang for your buck” deal. The one thing Xbox fans could proudly yell about online while PlayStation players muttered something about single-player exclusives.
But last week, Microsoft took that goodwill, put it in a cannon, and fired it directly into the sun.
A 50% Price Hike? In This Economy?
Let’s call it what it is — brutal.
Game Pass Ultimate is jumping from $22.95 to $35.95 AUD a month. That’s not a tweak. That’s a 56% price increase, and no amount of “but we added Fortnite Crew!” is going to make it palatable.
Microsoft’s defence? “You’re getting more value!”
- 75+ day-one releases a year!
- Unlimited cloud gaming!
- Ubisoft+ Classics and Fortnite Crew, valued at $28 a month!
Great. If you actually wanted those things.
For everyone else? It’s like your internet provider telling you your bill is going up because they bundled Binge into your plan “as a bonus.”
Unsurprisingly, Game Pass cancellation pages reportedly overloaded within hours of the announcement. As a Game Pass subscriber from day one, it saddens me that the previous “best deal in gaming” is no longer financially viable for me and it’s time to say goodbye.
And Now… Ads In Game Pass?
Because one slap in the face wasn’t enough, multiple reports suggest Xbox is preparing to roll ads into Game Pass menus and potentially before launching games.
So let’s recap:
| Feature | Previously | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Game Pass cost | $22.95 | $35.95 |
| Ads | None | Incoming |
| Public goodwill | High | Subnautica levels of underwater |
Xbox players didn’t sign up to become paying beta testers for Foxtel’s business model.
Microsoft Bought Half the Industry… and Still Has Nothing to Show for It
Let’s not forget — Xbox acquired Bethesda, Activision, and half the AA space in between. The amount of money spent could’ve funded 20 live-action Fallout seasons.
And yet, where are we now?
- Dozens of projects quietly cancelled including Rare Studios Everwild, Perfect Dark and more.
- Studios like Tango Gameworks shut down right after releasing critically acclaimed hits
- Former Xbox exclusives suddenly appearing on PlayStation — years too late to matter
Microsoft wanted to build an empire. Instead, it built a graveyard of what-could-have-beens.
Xbox Isn’t a Console Platform Anymore — It’s an App
Here’s the part nobody wants to say out loud:
Xbox isn’t trying to sell consoles anymore.
Phil Spencer’s dream isn’t an Xbox in every lounge room — it’s Game Pass on every screen. Samsung TVs. Mobile phones. Fridges (insert Skyrim joke here).
And that vision could’ve worked — if Microsoft hadn’t just made Game Pass actively unappealing.
You can’t charge Netflix-style pricing while offering Foxtel-style ads. Not when your biggest competitor (PlayStation) is out here winning headlines with actual games like God of War, Spider-Man 2, Ghost of Yotei and Astro Bot. Earlier this year the Nintendo Switch 2 boasted the BIGGEST launch of a new console in its history, and with a flurry of first and third party games flooding onto the system, Xbox should be very worried about its future.
So… Is Xbox Actually Dead?
Physically? No — the Series X isn’t about to vanish from shelves.
Spiritually? Oh, it’s on full cardiac life support.
Xbox didn’t lose because Sony beat them.
Xbox lost because Microsoft stopped acting like the gamer-friendly brand and offering up the “best deal in gaming”
Game Pass was supposed to be the future.
Right now? It feels like a cautionary tale. Netflix was the first to hit it big with TV and Movies streaming, it should have been easy for Xbox to follow in their stead with the game offering, instead here we are facing the demise of Xbox. RIP Green God, it was fun while it lasted.
