Subscribers in the U.K. on Xbox Live Gold, it’s perhaps best to take a seat because this is not good news. Microsoft is emailing customers telling them substantial price increases are on the way. How much? Well, quite a lot is the answer. Xbox Live Gold on a yearly subscription will now cost £49.99 each year, up from its previous £39.99 cost. That’s a hike of 25%, hardly a short amount. Elsewhere, the monthly sub is also getting a bump by 16.7% from £6 to £7. Furthermore, the three-month plans are seeing a 20% hike from £15 to £18. We guess none of this will make happy reading for consumers in the U.K. Microsoft says the changes will be enacted from May 8, although customers currently subscribed will be able to pay their current fee for the next three months. This means current subscribers will only be billed the extra amount after August 7.
Tough Conditions
In its email, Microsoft directly says Brexit and the economic climate it could create is the reason behind the increase. The decision follows a previous price increase of Microsoft Surface and Xbox hardware in the country in 2017. Not that it’s all bad news. It is worth remembering Microsoft often holds discounts on Xbox Live Gold membership, so if you are willing to wait perhaps you can get lucky. For new customers, one way around the price increase could be to purchase Microsoft’s upcoming all-digital Xbox One. This disc-less console will reportedly ship with an Xbox Live Gold two-year subscription.
