As the price of gaming has steadily been increasing over the years, some have begun to lament the bar of entry becoming too high. However, in a surprise move, Xbox has decided to relieve some of the tension.
Announced on Twitter, EVP and CEO of Xbox Gaming, Asha Sharma, stated that starting today, the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will drop from $29.99 USD a month to $22.99 (a shift of $33.99 CAD to $25.99). However, Sharma also shared that Call of Duty titles will no longer be joining the Ultimate Tier on Day-One, instead being added the following holiday after launch, “about a year later”.
The news follows a leaked internal memo that supposedly saw Sharma state that the price of Xbox Game Pass had grown “too expensive for players” and that the service needed to “create a better value equation.” Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters had also been apparently weighing options alongside Sharma, such as a Game Pass/Netflix bundle, saying “…I think Microsoft’s still trying to figure out how to make the Game Pass bundle work for Microsoft,” Peters said. “But what I like about Asha’s thinking is, it’s all about, ‘How do we do more?’ And it’s already been exciting to watch.”
When the Xbox Game Pass first launched on June 1st, 2017, there was no denying its value as a service. However, as both the industry and global economic factors have shifted, many players have been feeling the squeeze. According to a press release by the Xbox Team, “Our players cover a wide breadth of geographies, preferences, and tastes, so while there isn’t a single model that’s best for everyone, this change responds to a lot of feedback we’ve gotten so far. We’ll continue to listen and learn.”
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will continue to have access to hundreds of games on Xbox consoles and PC, including current Call of Duty titles, in-game benefits, online console multiplayer, and major day one releases.
