Microsoft responds to FTC, saying its Xbox Game Pass was not 'degraded'

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Microsoft responds to FTC, saying its Xbox Game Pass was not 'degraded'

A different service rather than a degraded one, according to Microsoft

Faced with the FTC's offensive, Microsoft is not going to give in. It wants to first point out to the court that the main reason the FTC opposed this acquisition was that Xbox could deprive Sony of an exit Call of Duty on these platforms, which is not the case.

But he also takes aim at the FTC's arguments about Xbox Game Pass being seen as ” degraded » following the recent changes announced for the service. For Microsoft, The disappearance of Xbox Game Pass Console in favor of the standard Xbox Game Pass is not at all a less interesting offersince while day one games are mostly gone, online play is directly integrated. Which, according to Microsoft, saves consumers from having to pay for two separate subscriptions:

” Microsoft is offering a new tier of service, Game Pass Standard, which offers access to hundreds of back catalog games and multiplayer features for $14.99/month. It’s wrong to call this a “downgraded” version of the console Game Pass offering. That discontinued product didn’t offer multiplayer, which had to be purchased separately for an additional $9.99/month (making the total cost $20.98/month).. »

Microsoft also defends the Ultimate tier price increase by stating that the offering will be bigger than ever:

” While the price of Game Pass Ultimate will increase from $16.99 to $19.99/month, the service will offer more value with a host of new games available day one. Among them is the release of the next Call of Duty, which has never been available before. »

For the manufacturer, it is normal that subscription services change over timeand it's not services like Netflix or Amazon Prime (or even PlayStation Plus) that are going to prove him wrong. In any case, it was Call of Duty that was at the heart of the debates and the fact that the license is available on other platforms as before will probably allow Microsoft not to worry about the decision of the court of appeal.

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