Microsoft’s practices regarding Xbox Game Pass have been fairly controversial, and it potentially just got much worse as the Federal Trade Commission gets involved.
Earlier this month, Microsoft announced price increases and a host of other changes to their premiere subscription service for console and PC. In addition to the price increases, a new tier will be introduced that doesn’t include day-one releases. The announcement didn’t go over well with consumers, prompting them to turn to resellers to get Game Pass codes. Now, the Federal Trade Commission is getting involved, today writing a letter to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to argue against the company.
In the letter obtained by Games Fray, the FTC argued that Microsoft’s actions regarding price increases are not justified and create harm for the consumers—especially after several well-documented layoffs. The FTC also argued that these practices are proof of “a firm exercising market power post-merger.”
Furthermore, the letter claims the company contradicted itself regarding Call of Duty‘s availability on Game Pass, originally saying the FPS franchise would be available day one without any price hikes. The letter concluded with the FTC asking the courts to investigate further.
This letter could prove to be another significant moment in the seemingly-endless battle between the FTC and Microsoft, which began when the tech titan announced its plans to acquire Activision Blizzard in 2022. Despite the huge acquisition closing in 2023, the FTC has yet to give up and this move by Microsoft just gave them more ammo. Since legal proceedings like these take time, gamers shouldn’t expect any drastic changes to Microsoft’s announcements anytime soon. Until then, Game Pass subscribers will just have to keep making their voices heard when it comes to speaking out against anti-consumer practices.
