“Product Degradation” has been the modus operandi for nearly every online service for like 10-15 years now, but it’s the Gamepass price increase is what got the FTC’s attention? Where was the FTC when the movie/TV streaming service market balkanized itself in an arms race to reinvent cable?
Granted, I doubt the FTC could really do anything meaningful to stop enshittification given that corporations are effectively above the law these days, but it’s been blatantly obvious that this was going to be Gamepass’ strategy from day one. If this actually surprised anyone at the FTC, they really haven’t been paying attention.
The FTC is specifically pissed that Microsoft was allowed to acquire Activision and then this price increase happened. It flies in the face of all the shit MS said wouldn’t happen to get the merger approved.
I hope there is a consequence.
The FCT cares because this comes in the follow up of a merger they tried to stop by claiming, among other things, Microsoft would do exactly this. Back then the court disagreed, so they are going to try to rub the court’s nose on the shit it did.
but it’s the Gamepass price increase is what got the FTC’s attention? Where was the FTC when the movie/TV streaming service market balkanized itself in an arms race to reinvent cable?
maybe we finally have some people in the FTC that are affected by this, finally someone my age in office making moves I approve of! lol
I like “Product Degradation” way better than “enshittification”.
Game Pass has been an awful money hole for MS since its inception. There’s no way it can make money without a dramatic increase in price for way less. It’s been so clear from day one that the hope was for gamers to just… stop buying games and for their service to become the only thing so they could later jack up the price when other options are gone, like streaming services did.
