Microsoft has denied allegations from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that its recent Game Pass price hikes are hurting consumers, especially after the company completed its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The company says the new pricing actually provides better value for money subscription options.
Image source: Activision
In a lawsuit filed this week to appeal the Activision Blizzard purchase, the FTC took aim at the new Game Pass Standard plan, which doesn’t include same-day releases, calling it an “inferior product,” VGC reports. The regulator also pointed to the price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, arguing that the changes are “exactly the kind of consumer harm” the FTC is trying to prevent.
In response, Microsoft said the new Standard plan, which costs $14.99 per month, replaces Game Pass for Xbox, which did not include online multiplayer. Previously, users had to pay an additional $9.99 per month for the feature. “It is inaccurate to call this a downgraded version of the discontinued Game Pass for Console,” Microsoft said in a statement. However, it emphasized that Game Pass Ultimate, despite the price increase to $19.99 per month, now offers more benefits, including access to new games like Call of Duty on launch day.
Microsoft, for its part, accused the FTC of trying to shift its focus to the gaming subscription market after the regulator’s concerns about Call of Duty’s Xbox exclusivity were allayed by a ten-year deal with Sony to keep the game on PlayStation, and stressed that the game would still be available to anyone.
“The FTC made virtually no mention of the subscription during the trial, focusing on the theory that we were removing Call of Duty from Sony’s console. However, the trial court correctly rejected that theory,” the letter states.
The company also insists that the deal with Activision Blizzard continues to benefit consumers, not the other way around, and that the changes to Game Pass are a natural evolution of the service.
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Source: 3dnews.ru
