Microsoft‘s price hike would have come at the worst possible time, but after the players got angry at the Redmond-based company, they backed off.

First, let’s see the Xbox Live Gold freebies for February. On Xbox One, for the entire month, we’ll ger Gears 5 (with Xbox Series enhancements) and Resident Evil HD Remaster, as well as Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition from February 16 to March 15. On Xbox 360, from February 16 to 28, Lost Planet 2 will be the freebie, and the original Xbox’ free title from February 1 to February 15 will be Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb. All these games can be played on newer hardware, thanks to backwards compatibility.

Now, about the price hike. Xbox Live Gold pricing was planned to be 11 dollars for one month, 30 dollars for 3 months, and 60 dollars for 6 months, respectively. It’d have been a price increase of 1 dollar for 1 month (10% hike), 5 for 3 months (20%), and 20 bucks for half a year (50%!).

The community did not take it kindly, so Microsoft then reversed it, and they issued the following statement: „We messed up today and you were right to let us know. Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of gaming and we failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing.

We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the centre of their experience. For free-to-play games, you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months. If you are an Xbox Live Gold member already, you stay at your current price for renewal. New and existing members can continue to enjoy Xbox Live Gold for the same prices they pay today. In the U.S., $9.99 for 1-month, $24.99 for 3-months, $39.99 for 6-months, and $59.99 for retail 12-months. Thank you.”

They messed up hard.

Source: Gematsu