Microsoft Cuts Game Pass Prices, Removes Day-One Call of Duty Access
Xbox trims Game Pass Ultimate to $22.99 and PC pass to $13.99 while new Call of Duty titles will not arrive on the service at launch.
GizmodoXbox Game Pass Now Costs Less, but That Doesn't Mean It's a Good Deal
CNBCMicrosoft cuts Game Pass subscription prices after new Xbox CEO promises to 'recommit' to gamers
CNETXbox Drops Game Pass Ultimate Price, Brings Bad News for Call of Duty Fans
ARS TechnicaMicrosoft removes Call of Duty from Game Pass, lowers subscription pricing
Overview
Microsoft cut Game Pass Ultimate to $22.99 and PC Game Pass to $13.99 and said new Call of Duty titles will not be available on launch day, Asha Sharma announced on X.
On 13 April Asha Sharma told Xbox staff in a memo that Game Pass had become too expensive, prompting the company to rethink subscription pricing and offerings.
Microsoft finance chief Amy Hood said Xbox content and services revenue came in below internal projections and announced an unspecified impairment charge in the gaming business.
Microsoft said Game Pass had 34 million subscribers in 2024.
Microsoft said forthcoming Call of Duty games will join Game Pass around the following holiday after launch.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame Microsoft’s price rollback as insufficient and consumer-unfriendly by foregrounding executives’ admissions, industry analyst data, and lost day-one benefits. Through selective emphasis on cost comparisons, skeptical phrasing, and prioritizing critical voices over counterarguments, sources construct a narrative that Game Pass’s model is flawed and likely requires deeper restructuring.