The new XBox 360 console and Kinect peripheral (L) is on display as it's revealed at Microsoft's press briefing ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) at the Wiltern Theater June 14, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Michal Czerwonka)
The prices of Xbox Live Gold subscription membership fees will be increased in six different countries soon. The subscription prices have been updated to provide a balance of service and value.
According to Game Informer, Microsoft has confirmed to them that they are updating the Xbox Live prices in six different territories around the world. The countries that were affected by the update included Hungary, Austria, Sweden, South Africa, and Turkey. These countries will be expecting the price increase on online gaming service soon.
Microsoft said in a statement that they occasionally update the pricing so that they can provide a balance of service and value to their valued customers. They also need to meet the currency fluctuations within the country in some instances. They will be adjusting the prices for the membership subscription in some countries on June 20.
In an email sent to the publication, a South African reader shared with them the new price increase that the company was going to implement soon. The email gave details to the subscription price in their region would become triple from R50 ($3.25) to R159 ($10.33).
According to Gamespot, the membership subscription price in the United States costs $9.99. The new prices for countries like Israel, Hungary, Sweden, Turkey, and Austria have not been confirmed yet currently. Currently, the subscription fee for Hungary is 2,000 Ft ($7.19), Israel is 37.88 ILS ($10.05), Sweden is 79 kr ($9.58), and Turkey is 18.99 TL ($6.40).
The Austrian region seems to have an issue, since its currency is the Euro, and all European Union countries are all charged with 6.99 Euros ($7.92) for the subscription fee, no matter its value added tax. Microsoft said in a statement that this subscription model suits the way their customers want to pay for their membership fees in Austria. They have based their subscription fees on the market and not on the currency, and the current price in the country aligns with other European markets.
The company has revealed that there is an advantage to the Xbox Live Gold codes, and that is they are not region-locked. They encourage customers to redeem any code regardless of where it was purchased. Customers can just purchase codes from outside the country, which can save them some cash.
Check out the Xbox One console new price video below:
