News Microsoft defends Game Pass price changes, tells FTC that adjustment offers multiplayer for less

[Admin]

Microsoft has responded to FTC criticism of its planned price increases and changes to the Game Pass subscription service, saying its new entry-level product offers more value, not less.

Microsoft defends Game Pass price changes, tells FTC that adjustment offers multiplayer for less : Read more

 

[hotaru251]

so if someone plays no online games then it is still a degraded tier as they no longer get day 1 games.

and thats just console & does nothing to combat fact MS said day 1 were going to be for all gamepass tiers in past.

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

I think more people than not will be happier with included multiplayer instead of day one games, especially if they are added in a somewhat timely manner (<6 months), given how new released games tend to have issues for a while that impacts the gaming experience.

Do find it odd they didn't do this kind of objecting when streaming services raise prices and cut features, or when Google removes features from Google One you paid for and can't get a refund or price compensation to adjust for, but Microsoft being so evil and big and the devil they have to go after them...

 

[ezst036]

I don't think Microsoft's pricing is unreasonable, nor the tiered levels.

Everything is subject to inflation. Do we think software developers get paid minimum wage, or never deserve raises?

*Developer gets hired* - well, sir, this is your pay level. For the rest of your life!

 

[thisisaname]

I don't think Microsoft's pricing is unreasonable, nor the tiered levels.

Everything is subject to inflation. Do we think software developers get paid minimum wage, or never deserve raises?

*Developer gets hired* - well, sir, this is your pay level. For the rest of your life!

Given the number of stories going around about how if you want a good pay rise you have to change jobs it is not far from being the truth.

 

[OLDKnerd]

I am not going to play any game where i can not choose what server to join, or for that matter host myself.
And i am not going to play any game that have the traits of pretty much all FPS games today.

So. I will probably never play multiplayer games again, so THX a bloody lot game houses and gamers of the past 20 years.

 

[eldakka1]

I don't think Microsoft's pricing is unreasonable, nor the tiered levels.

Everything is subject to inflation. Do we think software developers get paid minimum wage, or never deserve raises?

*Developer gets hired* - well, sir, this is your pay level. For the rest of your life!

Yes, everything is subject to inflation.

But there are also multiple downward pressues on price as well:
1) competition;
2) efficiencies of scale;
3) increases in productivity (whether due to workers working harder or changes in technology that enable a worker to increase output);
4) supply/demand;
5) price decreases in various inputs used in the product/system caused by those inputs themselves being affected by 1-4 above and also this point 5 (being recursive).

If prices remain stable for a long time - despite inflation - and then a decrease in competition (i.e. aquisitions taking competitors out of the market) is followed by a near-immediate increase in prices, then that is decent evidence of anti-trust activities.

PS: thinking about it, points 2 and 3 above are basically the same thing, as an efficiency of scale is another way of saying increased productivity.

 

[Geef]

Too bad there isn't an option to check boxes for price.
I want to do X and Y but not Z so it will cost me $#.

 

[watzupken]

I don't think Microsoft's pricing is unreasonable, nor the tiered levels.

Everything is subject to inflation. Do we think software developers get paid minimum wage, or never deserve raises?

*Developer gets hired* - well, sir, this is your pay level. For the rest of your life!

It is not unreasonable for MS to increase price, but the increase here is way over inflation. Is MS passing most of the increase to the developers? I doubt that.

 

[slightnitpick]

Do find it odd they didn't do this kind of objecting when streaming services raise prices and cut features, or when Google removes features from Google One you paid for and can't get a refund or price compensation to adjust for, but Microsoft being so evil and big and the devil they have to go after them...

The FTC is not involved in these decisions; it is involved in signing off on, and objecting to, a merger.

 

[hotaru251]

Everything is subject to inflation. Do we think software developers get paid minimum wage, or never deserve raises?

i really hope this is not a serious statement...

if you think the increased profit is beign spread out to the developers you are crazy.
the profits going straight to the top w/o a penny going to the lower end.