TECH - FTC Criticizes Microsoft Over Xbox Game Pass Price Increase And 'Degraded' Standard Tier | Benzinga
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has expressed its disapproval of Microsoft Corp.'s (NASDAQ:MSFT) decision to raise the prices for Xbox Game Pass and introduce a new "degraded" standard tier.
What Happened: Last week, Microsoft announced a hike in the prices of PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and simultaneously launched a new Game Pass Standard tier.
The FTC has labeled this new tier as a "degraded product" because it will not offer day-one access to first-party Xbox games, a feature that is included in the $10.99 Game Pass for Console, as reported by The Verge.
MSFT did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.
The Xbox Game Pass Standard, priced at $14.99, will only provide online multiplayer. The FTC, in a submission to ...