FTC Exposes Microsoft’s Underhanded Xbox Scheme

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is coming for Microsoft’s jugular, blasting the company’s Xbox Game Pass price increases as a brazen exercise of market power. In a bold move, the FTC has filed a petition with the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, accusing Microsoft of using its dominance to exploit gamers and crush innovation.

Microsoft’s latest move: a new Game Pass Standard tier, complete with a hefty price tag of $14.99 and a crippling lack of day-one game access. It’s a deliberately degraded product, designed to milk unsuspecting gamers for every penny they’re worth. And yet, the FTC claims this is the very definition of market power – a company using its dominance to silence competition and stifle innovation.

The FTC’s scathing criticism is a clear warning shot across the bow of Microsoft’s gaming empire. In a blistering rebuke, the agency accused Microsoft of “exploiting its market power to crush the competitive process” and “engaging in a pattern of anti-competitive behavior” that “harms gamers and stifles innovation.” Will Microsoft finally be held accountable for its predatory pricing and product degradation? The gaming world is watching with bated breath.

As the stakes grow higher, one thing is certain: the gaming industry will never be the same. The FTC’s bold move signals a new era of accountability, and a chance for gamers to reclaim control from the corporate behemoths that have long held them hostage.