The price of an Xbox Game Pass subscription has just been lowered in Saudi Arabia and The United Arab Emirates. This was done in order to ensure the pricing fairly matches regional markets and economies. Though many may think of princes and Sheiks when they picture these countries, the mega-rich make up a tiny fraction of their population.
As first reported by PC Mag, the price reduction has been done to "best serve customers in each country. These price adjustments were informed and based on local market conditions in each country. This is simply a continuation of the price adjustments we made in select countries late last year."
RELATED: If You Only Play One New Game Pass Game, Make It Telling Lies
The price for Game Pass Ultimate has dropped by $5 in the UAE and $4 in Saudi Arabia. The dollar has a different relative value in each country, so it makes sense for Micorosft to regularly revisit its pricing from time to time to ensure different territories aren't paying ridiculously high rates.
This is a move that shows care and effort is being put into giving gamers around the world access to the titles they love. Horizon Forbidden West, for example, just tripled in retail value in some territories, pricing a lot of players out of the experience.
Confusingly, the PS5 version of Forbidden West costs $10 more than the PS4 version, but the latter offers a free upgrade, so there really is no reason for this disparity beyond tricking players into buying the more expensive copy. Don't buy the PS5 version, just buy the PS4 copy and claim the free upgrade.
It's wise for Microsoft to be making sure its services are priced fairly, as video game markets outside of the US, Europe, and Japan are all growing. A recent report suggests
Read more on thegamer.com