FTC Calls Microsoft’s Game Pass Price Increase Anti-Competitive

The US Federal Trade Commission raised concerns over price increases to Microsoft Corp.’s video game subscription service in an appeals court filing.

Last week, Microsoft said it will raise the price of its Game Pass Ultimate to $20 a month from $17 in September. It’s also discontinuing its $11-a-month Console Game Pass, which will force players to either pay 81% more to switch to Game Pass Ultimate or accept a “degraded product,” the FTC said in a filing Thursday with the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco. Subscribers who want to play the upcoming installment of blockbuster game Call of Duty on the Game Pass when it releases, for example, may have to upgrade to a more expensive tier.