07/10/2024
FTC says Microsoft has turned Xbox Game Pass into a 'degraded product'
The Federal Trace Commission (FTC) had branded Xbox Game Pass a "degraded product" after Microsoft announced a price hike.
Microsoft is increasing the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass for PC subscriptions. It's also introducing a new 'Standard' tier that ditches day-one access for first-party titles.
As spotted by The Verge reporter Tom Warren, the FTC claims that new Standard plan is a "degraded product" that essentially forces consumers to pay more for less.
The U.S. regulator noted these changes come less than a year after Microsoft completed its $68.7 billion merger with Activision Blizzard—a deal the FTC heavily opposed—and claims the two are inherently linked.