For years, we’ve heard rumors of Microsoft dropping Xbox Live Gold, but a recent report suggests that this might happen soon. However, Microsoft apparently isn’t removing Xbox Live Gold completely. Instead, as per Brad Sams, Microsoft will combine Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass to make the combined subscription the company’s “baseline” offering at $15 a month. What’s interesting about what Sams just said is that the Xbox Live Gold and the Xbox Game Pass are already part of one subscription for $15. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which costs $14.99 a month, bundles both of Microsoft’s less-expensive services together with EA Play and the occasional freebie. If what Sams is trying is true and Microsoft wants to use a $15 monthly subscription as the baseline price, this would mean that a price increase for both Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is coming. At the moment, Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold will set users back $9.99 a month each, respectively. Because of this, some gamers opt for the Ultimate option only to save $5 and gain access to more than just the combined features of the Game Pass and Gold. In an ideal world, a “revamped” Xbox Game Pass with Xbox Live Gold will only cost $15 with Microsoft bumping up the price of the Ultimate by $5 if not $10. However, Sams’ statement about the new baseline being the “only tier” implies that Ultimate will be no more, which makes no sense as it’s a good value even with a price increase. Speaking of Game Pass, Sony revealed its “competitor” last week and while it wasn’t a true direct rival, the rebranded PlayStation Plus is on-brand with PlayStation. Meanwhile, Microsoft recently revealed that it has spent “hundreds of millions” on Game Pass with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy reportedly setting the tech giant back by $10 million. Finally, a credible report claims that Microsoft wants to launch an Xbox Game Pass Family plan that would give up to five users access to its massive library at a lower price than individual subscriptions.
