Earlier today, Microsoft announced a shocking increase in Xbox Live Gold prices. Prior to the announcement, Xbox Live Gold membership was priced at $9.99 for 1-month, $24.99 for 3-months, $39.99 for 6-months and $59.99 for 12-months. If the price hike pushed through, it would have amounted to 1-month for $10.99, 3-months for $29.99, and 6-months for $59.99. That’s a 100% increase on the 6-month pricing tier!

As you can expect, the fans weren’t happy, and had made their opinions known about this new price increase. Hours later, Microsoft has since backtracked on the price hike, saying “We messed up today and you were right to let us know. Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of gaming and we failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing.”

Prices will remain the same the the Xbox Live Gold subscription service, but Microsoft have also committed to removing the XBL Gold requirement to enjoy multiplayer on free-to-play games, saying “For free-to-play games, you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months.”

This will certainly be good news, especially for those who have now been enjoying next-gen gaming on their Series X’s, as Microsoft have continued to show that they will listen to their fanbase to provide better service.