Xbox Game Pass Gets Price Cut, Drops Call of Duty at Launch

As a response to the player feedback, Xbox Game Pass will now be available for a discounted rate. The catch, however, is that Call of Duty won’t be included at launch. Meaning, if you want to play Call of Duty at launch, you’d have to buy the game. 

No More Call of Duty on Launch

Since Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard in 2023, Call of Duty titles released thereafter, Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7, have been available to subscribers at launch. The strategy behind this move was to increase Call of Duty’s reach and get it to the players without paying the premium cost. This move helped boost the concurrent player count for the games. 

According to Windows Central’s Jez Cordon, the decision to add COD at launch led to a decrease in the revenue for the game. 

This problem was addressed by increasing the price of the Xbox Game Pass, which again did not sit well with the subscriber base. Addressing the revenue problem, starting this year, new Call of Duty titles will only be available on Xbox Game Pass a year later, allowing Microsoft to reduce the rates of the game pass. 

Xbox Game Pass Is Now Cheaper! 

The reduced rates of the Xbox Game Pass are a response to player feedback. The revised rates are as follows: 

• PC Game Pass: $13.99/month (reduced from $16.99)
• Game Pass Ultimate: $22.99/month (reduced from $29.99)

These prices are $2-3 higher than the pre-hike ones. 

While the subscription is cheaper, removing Call of Duty on launch also removes a big chunk of value from Game Pass. Other than COD and Minecraft, there aren’t many live-service games, thus removing the overall incentive to purchase the subscription. 

We won’t see the effect of the change until the latest Call of Duty is released towards the end of the year. 

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Feature Image Credits: Xbox Live Wire