Last February, Phil Spencer left the address of Xbox and put an end to a forty-year career in Microsoft. It happened to him Asha Sarmawho already gave signs of a new direction for the platform by commenting that the prices of Xbox Game Pass They seemed too expensive to him. Today, Microsoft has taken action by applying a reduction in some service subscriptions, which is already effective in Spain .
It is the first time that Xbox Game Pass has dropped in price after its launch in 2017but it does so at the cost of something that fans of Call of Dutysince the new titles of the franchise will no longer be available on the service from launch day.
Game Pass Ultimate has become too expensive for too many players. Starting today, we’re dropping the price from $29.99 to $22.99/month.
Future Call of Duty titles will no longer join Game Pass Ultimate on day one. They will join this tier the following holiday after launch (about…— Asha (@asha_shar) April 21, 2026
The benefited subscriptions are the most expensive, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The first goes from €26.99 to €20.99 per month, a reduction of 22.2%. The second does it from €14.99 to €12.99 monthly, a 13.3%. The other two Xbox Game Pass plans remain as before. essentialin €8.99 per month, and Premiumin €12.99.
This price drop partially offsets the last increase last year, in which Xbox Game Pass Ultimate went from €17.99 to €26.99 per month, almost a 50% increase, and PC Game Pass went from €11.99 monthly to €14.99a 25% further. Essential, which has not moved now, rose €6.99 to €8.99 every month and Premium had no changes.
In a statement posted on its blog, Microsoft notes that ‘our players span a wide variety of geographies, preferences and tastes, so while there is no single model that is best for everyone, This change responds to many of the comments we have received so far‘.
Goodbye to Call of Duty on launch day
The bad side is what subscribers lose. For the past two years, Microsoft has released Call of Duty games on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass the same day it premiered, but that’s over. Call of Duty 2026 Activisionnot yet announced, will arrive to Game Pass subscriptions in the ‘next holiday season’, according to Microsoft; that is to say, about a year after its release. However, none of the Call of Duty games that are already available on Game Pass will be removed from service.
This comes after an anonymous company source informed Bloomberg last October that Microsoft lost about $300 million in direct sales of Call of Duty after its inclusion in Game Passwhile subscriber growth was limited. Microsoft has owned the franchise since it bought Activision Blizzardeditor of the saga, in 2023.
‘Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers They will continue to have access to hundreds of games on Xbox console and PCincluding current Call of Duty titles, in-game benefits, online console multiplayer, and big releases from day one. We will continue listening and learning,’ adds the company.