Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter suggests that Microsoft could soon raise the price of Xbox Live membership, reports Gamasutra. Pachter made his comments during an interview with GTTV .
Pachter believes a possible strategy at Microsoft is to hook increasing numbers of gamers on online multiplayer and eventually increase subscription fees for the service that delivers it. He also sees the addition of features such as social media tools as eventual components of a tiered service, what he compares to cable TV’s basic versus premium packages.
Currently 360 owners pay $50 a month for XBL Gold service to access online multiplayer. Pachter predicts that could double. His comments counter what many believed would be Microsoft’s eventual move towards completely free XBL service to match what Sony has with PS Network. Pachter even suggests publishers with popular multiplayer franchises may eventually charge fees of their own.
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