GoKawiilLast year, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft estimated it had lost $300 million in direct sales of Call of Duty games due to the title’s inclusion in Game Pass, according to an anonymous employee. At the same time, Game Pass saw limited subscriber growth immediately following the addition of new Call of Duty games to the plan in 2024.
Today’s pricing and game availability adjustments could help remedy both problems, while still saving money for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers who buy Call of Duty separately.
When Microsoft raised the price of its Game Pass Ultimate subscription from $16.99 to $19.99 in 2024, the move drew an angry response from the Federal Trade Commission, which was at the time still appealing Microsoft’s merger with Activision on antitrust grounds. The FTC noted that the price increase—which came alongside the elimination of a cheaper $10.99 “Console” subscription tier—“coincide[s] with adding Call of Duty to Game Pass’s most expensive tier.” The FTC also noted at the time that Microsoft had promised Call of Duty’s Game Pass availability would come with “no price increase for the service based on the acquisition.”
Today’s Game Pass price reduction comes after entertainment subscriptions in general saw massive price increases well ahead of inflation in 2025, according to federal data. So far in 2026, we’ve also seen significant price increases for Netflix, Spotify, CrunchyRoll, YouTube Premium, and others.