Xbox chief Phil Spencer thinks it’s likely that the company will have to raise the price of Xbox Game Pass sooner rather than later – among other things.

The price of Xbox Game Pass, Xbox consoles and Xbox video games will all go up at some point in the future. Speaking on WSJ Live, Phil Spencer suggested that Xbox will not be able to maintain current prices “forever”.

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.” Phil Spencer, however, said it was important for Xbox to keep current prices for the holiday season. After all, their goal is to make their products appealing to “undecided” customers.

Previously, Sony has increased the price of its PS5 console in some areas of the world. This has made Xbox and Nintendo reassure consumers that they have no plans to increase the cost of their consoles. Spencer notes that this option is on the table. Whether this will actually happen or not remains to be seen. But Xbox gamers can expect Game Pass, console and game prices to remain unchanged for at least the rest of 2022.

Currently, Xbox Game Pass costs $9.99 per month for the basic version, while Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $14.99.

It seems unlikely that Microsoft would raise the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price to be much higher than what Sony currently offers with Game Pass competitor PS Plus Premium. PS Plus Premium costs $17.99 per month. It costs $119.99 per year. Those who purchase an annual subscription to PS Plus Premium will save $60 compared to those who pay each month for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. However, the monthly price of Premium is a few dollars more than Game Pass Ultimate.

For now, Xbox gamers need not worry about a price increase shortly, although they should keep in mind that it is potentially on the horizon.

Source: The Wall Street Journal