Game Pass price hike's heavy toll: Millions of users lost
Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
News
Named sources
Outcome reported
- Microsoft's Game Pass subscription service saw a significant price increase of up to 50% in 2025, leading to millions of user cancellations.
- Although the price hike was later reversed after new leadership took over, a substantial number of users were lost.
- Current subscription prices in Turkey range from 269 TL for Essential to 529 TL for Ultimate.
Microsoft's subscription service, Game Pass, experienced a significant backlash after implementing a price increase of up to 50% in 2025. This move, widely criticized, resulted in the loss of millions of users who canceled their subscriptions or opted not to renew.
Matthew Ball, Chief Strategy Officer, recently discussed the price hikes with Geoff Keighley. Ball confirmed that following the increase, millions of gamers abandoned the service. The decision to reverse the controversial price adjustment came after the arrival of a new CEO, Asha Sharma.
Despite the reversal, the service reportedly suffered considerable damage to its user base. In Turkey, the pricing structure reflects different tiers: the Essential subscription starts at 269 Turkish Lira per month, Premium is 409 TL, Ultimate is 529 TL, and the PC-specific subscription costs 419 TL.
Following the price increase for Game Pass, millions of users canceled their subscriptions or did not renew.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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