GameStop roasts Microsoft on social media as Game Pass jumps to $30 a month

Microsoft kicked off October with news that left many Xbox fans disgruntled: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is increasing from $19.99 to $29.99 per month, a 50% rise that has been understandably hard to swallow. Unsurprisingly, in an economy already reeling with inflationary pressures, backlash was quite immediate. Social media lit up with complaints, cancellation numbers spiked so heavily they briefly crashed Microsoft’s own site, and now even GameStop has jumped into the fray, taking shots at the company while slyly promoting its own stock of cheaper subscription cards.

GameStop’s social media team wasted no time at all, dropping memes on X mocking the price hike while pointing out that its $19.99 Game Pass Ultimate cards are still available in-store and online. GameStop's trolling of Microsoft, while also promoting their own cards, can be chalked up as pretty effective marketing at a time when people are extremely vocal about the price change.

For those curious, the $19.99 cards won’t last forever but are a great way to hit home for a brand that has arguably been one of the most affected by said subscription services in terms of both revenue and relevance; much of GameStop’s margins continue to come from game trade-ins and subsequent sales of pre-owned copies.

Once GameStop runs through its current stock, new shipments will reflect the updated price. But for now, the retailer is leveraging this drastic price change to lure in disgruntled Xbox fans looking for any way to get their games fast and cheap.

Microsoft has attempted to soften the blow by highlighting new perks, including access to Ubisoft+ titles and Fortnite Crew benefits bundled into Game Pass. But for many longtime subscribers, the additions don’t justify the sudden jump to $30. Community sentiment has been particularly sour, with plenty of fans calling out Microsoft for what they see as nickel-and-diming during a time when subscription fatigue is already high across most media and gaming.

The Xbox Game Pass has long been considered some of the best value-for-money purchases for gamers thanks to its day-one releases, and the next wave of titles is nothing to scoff at. Heavy hitters like Ninja Gaiden 4, The Outer Worlds 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 are all landing directly on the service. Executives might be hoping that they are enough for Microsoft to hold on to whoever’s left after the dust settles.

The bigger question is whether the hike will push players toward competitors like Sony’s PlayStation Plus. Sony has raised prices before, but now it has an opportunity to contrast its own subscription costs against Game Pass to attract new members. Alternatively, if Microsoft pulls this off without significant subscriber losses, it might give Sony the green light to follow suit with a similar increase in price while offering a limited increase in value.

For now, though, GameStop has turned Microsoft’s headache into a PR win. One shouldn’t expect those $19.99 cards to stick around for long, so it might be prudent to stock up for users planning to stay on the service for the foreseeable future.

Buy the (still discounted) Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription on Amazon