Microsoft cuts Game Pass price and drops Call of Duty day-one releases

• Future Call of Duty titles will no longer launch day one on the service.
• New Call of Duty releases will arrive on Game Pass roughly a year after launch.
• The move reverses a key strategy tied to the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Microsoft has cut the price of its Xbox Game Pass subscription while removing day-one access to future Call of Duty releases.

The company confirmed that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will now cost $22.99 per month, down from $29.99, while PC Game Pass drops to $13.99 from $16.49. 

New Call of Duty titles will instead be added to the service around a year after launch, reversing a key pillar of Microsoft’s previous content strategy following its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Strategy reset

The changes come under new gaming chief Asha Sharma, who took over after the retirement of Phil Spencer and the departure of Sarah Bond earlier this year. 

Game Pass has undergone multiple pricing changes in recent years alongside ongoing adjustments to Microsoft’s gaming strategy. Moreover, the move signals a recalibration of Microsoft’s long-standing bet on subscriptions and cloud gaming as primary growth drivers.

By lowering prices while delaying day-one access to future Call of Duty releases, Microsoft appears to be shifting the service toward a more value-focused approach.