Microsoft’s unpopular Game Pass price hikes have caught the eye of Lina Khan. The previous head of the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) took to social media on Friday to as soon as once more criticize the corporate’s acquisition of Name of Responsibility maker Activision Blizzard. “As dominant firms become too-big-to-care, they can make things worse for their customers without having to worry about the consequences,” she wrote only a day after the value of Recreation Go Final rose to $30 a month.
It was Khan’s FTC throughout the Biden Administration that sued Microsoft to prevent the $70 billion Activision Blizzard deal from going via. The regulator argued that additional market consolidation in gaming would hurt customers, and ended up taking the matter to courtroom. A decide in the end dominated in favor of Microsoft, however that hasn’t stopped Khan and others from criticizing the result within the years since.
“Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision has been followed by significant price hikes and layoffs, harming both gamers and developers,” she posted on X immediately alongside a chart displaying Recreation Go costs doubling because the trial concluded. “As we’ve seen across sectors, increasing market consolidation and increasing prices often go hand-in-hand.”
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision has been adopted by vital worth hikes and layoffs, harming each players and builders.
As we’ve seen throughout sectors, rising market consolidation and rising costs typically go hand-in-hand.
As dominant companies grow to be… https://t.co/FoI50tlEsL
— Lina Khan (@linamkhan) October 3, 2025
An identical level was made when Microsoft raised prices last year. “Microsoft’s price increases and product degradation—combined with Microsoft’s reduced investments in output and product quality via employee layoffs, see FTC’s February 7, 2024, Letter—are the hallmarks of a firm exercising market power post-merger,” the FTC wrote final July when it was nonetheless interesting the merger.”
Microsoft promised regulators Recreation Go costs wouldn’t go up
Khan isn’t the one one going “I told you so” this week. Shortly after the newest Recreation Go worth hikes had been introduced, gamers began circulating the corporate’s previous quotes again throughout the Activision merger combat. The UK’s Competitors and Markets Authority additionally tried to dam the deal over pricing issues.
“Game Pass prices will not increase as a result of the Merger, and certainly will not increase to a point that offsets the substantial benefits of Activision titles coming to Game Pass on a day and date basis,” the corporate claimed back in 2023. “This is especially so given Game Pass will continue to be constrained by B2P [buy to play].”
Within the years since, Microsoft seems to have carried out precisely that, adding Call of Duty to Game Pass however jacking up the value as nicely, despite the fact that gamers can nonetheless select to purchase the sport à la carte for $70 on console and PC.
Microsoft would possibly argue that $30 a month is a good worth to pay for subscription-based entry to Black Ops 7 and lots of of different video games. It’s inconceivable to know with out entry to remainder of the Xbox math, most of which Microsoft stopped reporting to the general public years in the past. All we all know is that in response to Microsoft, Recreation Go was worthwhile and producing $5 billion in income a yr, even earlier than the newest worth hikes.
