Microsoft raised Game Pass 50%, lost 'millions' of subscribers, then quietly rolled it back

$19.99 → $29.99 → $22.99, and a CEO admitting Ultimate had become 'too costly'. companies almost never concede a price hike failed. this one did,… Aliteq Diego Santos · Gaming Editor

Ultimate went $19.99 → $29.99 → $22.99 in about six months.

Microsoft's own CEO said the service had become 'too costly' — a rare public concession.

PC Game Pass moved with it, from $16.49 down to $13.99.

The trade-off: from 2026, new Call of Duty titles no longer arrive on Game Pass at launch.

Microsoft has since cut roughly 3,200 gaming jobs and spun off four studios, and is putting Halo on PlayStation. The logic of all that is: subscription and reach matter more than console…

Why this is the most important Xbox story of the year

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