Xbox Live Gets a Price Hike
Your online gaming on Xbox is about to get more expensive.
August 30, 2010
by Erik Brudvig
IGN
Microsoft has announced that as of November 1, 2010, the price for Xbox Live Gold will go up in Canada, the US, United Kingdom and Mexico. The annual fee will go up by $10 in the United States, with one and three month subscriptions also going up in price.
Starting November 1, a one month subscription in the US will cost $9.99 and a three month subscription will carry a price tag of $24.99. These are increases of $2 and $5 respectively. In the UK, a one month subscription will go up by 1 GBP to 5.99. Canadian and Mexican one month subscriptions will go up by $1 CAD and 100 Pesos each to $9.99 and 599 Pesos. All other subscription packages will have the same prices.
In a posting, Microsoft spokesperson Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb explained the hike:
"Since launching Xbox LIVE in 2002 we have continually added more content and entertainment experiences for our members, while keeping the price the same. We're confident that when the new pricing takes effect, an Xbox LIVE Gold membership will continue to offer the best value in the industry.
However, we do want to thank our loyal members and give you the opportunity to lock in your current price with an additional discount, so now would be a good time to renew your subscription."
Analyst Jesse Divinich of EEDAR believes this price increase will not have a major effect of Microsoft's momentum or subscription base, saying that, "EEDAR believes the fee increase will do little to impact the positive momentum of the Xbox 360," and that given the service improvements through the year, "it comes as no surprise that Microsoft would eventually increase the price of a Gold subscription by a moderate amount."
http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/111/1116845p1.html