Shortly after announcing a major price increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Microsoft has made a last-minute change. The company confirmed that the higher prices will not yet apply to current subscribers in several European and Asian countries, as long as they keep their automatic renewal active.
The news came through an email sent to affected users. The message explained that the new price will only apply to new subscriptions. If an existing user cancels and then resubscribes, the higher rate will take effect. However, as long as their subscription remains active, the price will stay the same.
Local Regulations Delay the Price Hike
According to Microsoft, users with active and automatically renewing subscriptions in countries such as Germany, Ireland, Poland, South Korea, India, and Italy will continue paying the current rate. This decision does not affect key markets like the United States or the United Kingdom, where the price increase will proceed as planned.
The reason for this delay seems to be local regulations in those countries, which require companies to give customers prior notice before changing subscription prices. Microsoft stated that affected users will receive a notice at least 60 days in advance before the new prices take effect in their regions.
This change gives temporary relief to many gamers who were facing an increase of nearly 50% in their subscription cost. The original plan was to raise prices for new members on October 1st, and for existing subscribers during their next billing cycle, starting November 4th.
